On the eve of the American GP, Max Verstappen kept quiet about the alleged power struggle at Red Bull between team boss Christian Horner and advisor Dr. Helmut Marko. But if he is unexpectedly faced with a choice in the conflict and has to choose sides, Max Verstappen knows who will get his support.
Where there’s smoke, there is fire. Especially in Formula 1, a sport that thrives on rumors and conflicts. Last week it emerged through the Brazilian medium Globo that Christian Horner, formally the boss of all sixteen hundred employees on the payroll at Red Bull Racing, would have a conflict with Helmut Marko. The team boss is said to have been particularly disturbed by Marko’s recent racist comments about Sergio Pérez, for which the 80-year-old CEO quickly apologized afterwards.
Although both parties deny that there is a conflict, it was the main topic of discussion during the traditional media day. Max Verstappen did not want to dismiss the rumors about an internal conflict as ‘nonsense’, but had little desire to delve much deeper into the tricky issue. Yet it is now clear that Marko has his unconditional support. German journalist Ralf Bach reported on Tuesday that Verstappen will leave Red Bull if his Austrian discoverer and ‘second father’ is removed. It seems highly unlikely that Horner would want to make such a king’s sacrifice in the name of the bull stable.
Max Verstappen is Red Bull’s global poster boy
Verstappen has certainly become the global poster child for the energy drinks company in recent years. With three world titles under his belt, an unprecedented superiority in 2023 and fourteen victories from seventeen races, he is a synonym for success. And if it were up to him, there would be no end to it anytime soon. The remaining five races in Austin, Mexico, São Paulo, Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi are all on his wish list. “You do everything you can to win matches. And if you succeed, you want to keep it up for as long as possible,” said Verstappen.
“Now that the world title has been won, nothing changes for me in that regard,” he continued. “I also want to get the best out of the last matches and of course try to win them. I don’t approach a weekend differently now, I’m not going to take it easy.” Whether there is sufficient appreciation for this is secondary to him. “I’m not concerned with whether I get enough appreciation. I’m not interested at all either. I do my thing on the track, then go home and do my thing there too.”
Read everything about the United States GP here, including the complete timetable
The special champion edition of FORMULA 1 Magazine is NOW in stores. The magazine can also be ordered digitally, with free delivery throughout the Netherlands! Read all about Max Verstappen’s special World Cup trilogy, also with unique photography by our in-house photographer Peter van Egmond.
Also included in this issue:
Exclusive interview Dutch national coach Ronald Koeman: ‘Max reminds me of Messi’
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner continues to amaze: ‘All superlatives for Max have run out’
Photo series: Verstappen’s fast path to the third world title
The sophisticated F1 trajectory of Jan Lammers and son René
Gallery: the most beautiful image of resident photographer Peter van Egmond
Columns Noël Ummels and Nelson Valkenburg
F1 Insider Graham Watson on FOM’s commercial interest in a new superstar
And everything about Max Verstappen’s championship weekend in Qatar!
