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In February 2024, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was accused of inappropriate and controlling behavior by a female employee from the team. This not only shook the team but also Formula 1 as a whole. Now, a year later, Helmut Marko, the advisor to Red Bull Racing, addressed the uncomfortable "Horner Affair" and shared his take going forward.
Prior to the 2024 season opener in Bahrain, an email with the subject line: "Christian Horner investigation evidence" was sent to the Formula figureheads like team principals and journalists. This shook the very foundation of workplace safety at the Milton Keynes-based team, as the anonymous email contained WhatsApp exchanges, pictures, and other images, between Horner and the woman involved.
While the F1 fraternity went wild regarding the ordeal, Horner remained calm and composed and categorically denied all the accusations. There was also an internal upheaval within the team and as per paddock chatters, it led to the departure of two of Red Bull's most trusted aides — Adrian Newey (Chief Technical Officer), and Jonathan Wheatley (Sporting Director)
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Red Bull had taken the matters seriously and conducted an emergency internal investigation by an outside lawyer. The outcome of the investigation was out in a couple of months, and to this day, it remained confidential.
Meanwhile, over a year on, Marko has shared how Red Bull can avoid such crises in the future and get the best out of it. In a recent with Kleine Zeitung on how Red Bull managed to weather the Horner storm, the 81-year-old said:
"Yes. But that only works if everyone pulls together and everyone has one common goal: to win the world championship title. And that's the case again now."
Keeping aside the off-track ordeals, Red Bull lost their competitive advantage to rivals as they finished the 2024 Constructors' Championship in P3. They lost their footing to McLaren and Ferrari and finished as the third-best team despite starting the year dominantly.
Helmut Marko revealed how Red Bull can challenge McLaren for F1 title
During his interview with Kleine Zeitung, Helmut Marko also addressed how Red Bull is currently no match for McLaren and what they need to do as a team to challenge the Papayas.
The Red Bull Racing advisor said:
"We need to quickly deliver updates that actually work. Of course, they come in batches, and if something doesn't work, we have to fix it. To win the World Championship, however, these improvements definitely have to happen in the next five races. Otherwise, it will be too late."
Statistically, McLaren are mighty in 2025. With two races down, the Woking-based team has won both races, Lando Norris in Melbourne and Oscar Piastri in Shanghai. Norris returned with a P8 finish in the sprint race in China, while Piastri finished P2. Compared to them, Max Verstappen's best race finish was P2 in Melbourne.
