“The story with Christian Horner certainly didn’t help": Red Bull admits that the early season turbulence has hurt the squad

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko claimed that the story revolving around team principal Christian Horner and the power struggle within the team did not help its season this year. The world champions are having a roller coaster of a season, both on and off the track, given that they saw early season success which has now translated into them failing to win a race since late June.

The team had a controversial starting to the year off the track with Horner embroiled in "inappropriate behavior" allegations which later developed into a full inter-team power struggle in the first few races.

Speaking to Motorsport Magazin, in an exclusive interview, Marko mentioned that he was aware that the domination of the previous season would not be replicated this year and reflected on the power dynamics of the team since the passing of Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz. He said, via GPBlog:

"2024 still started very successfully. Meanwhile, there were turbulences around Christian Horner. Those have now been regulated, I would say. We sat down together and said we want to win this championship. Therefore, we have to do our best to achieve that goal. Dietrich Mateschitz has been replaced by Horner, so this replacement has changed a lot in the structure."

"Horner has just taken on multiple roles, but when such an exceptional personality disappears (Dietrich) there is a big change overall. The story with Horner certainly didn't help. But we have come to the conclusion that we have to work together. To get a winning car and keep Max," Marco added.

The disagreements between the Red Bull leadership were clearly visible in the handling of Daniel Ricciardo's stint with RB and his eventual exit, post the Singapore GP in September.

Red Bull team boss gives his take on Daniel Ricciardo's exit

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner stated that he fought with Helmut Marko to keep Daniel Ricciardo in the seat for as long as possible. While appearing on the F1 Nation podcast, Horner divulged the details regarding the Aussie's exit, via ESPN.

"Even around Barcelona, Helmut wanted him out of the car, there was already a lot of pressure on him there. I've done my very best to buy him as much time in the car to allow him to deliver, so otherwise he would have been out of the car after Barcelona." Horner said.

The reports of internal power battles this year have seen Red Bull lose many key people from the team such as CTO Adrian Newey and Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley for the 2025 season.

The reigning world champions have also lost their hold over the Constructor's Championship as McLaren has surpassed them after starting the season in P4 after Bahrain.