Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko has revealed he was thinking about leaving the team even before he was accused of leaking evidence over Christian Horner’s behaviour towards a female colleague.
The 80-year-old motorsport adviser insisted over the weekend he won’t be suspended as the scandal consuming the Formula One team rumbles on.
That followed talks with the energy drinks company’s head of sport, Oliver Mintzlaff, in the paddock during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah.
Marko had earlier hinted he would quit, a departure which may well have led to world champion driver Max Verstappen going with him in a show of loyalty to his mentor.
But in a fresh twist, Marko told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf on Sunday that he had considered walking away even before the Horner controversy blew up.
Red Bull adviser Dr Helmut Marko (right) said he wouldn’t be suspended by the Formula One team having been accused of leaking evidence over Christian Horner’s (left) behaviour
Marko is a mentor to world champion Max Verstappen (right), who won in Jeddah on Saturday
Marko (left) with Verstappen (second left), Horner (second right) and Sergio Perez (right) after Red Bull claimed another victory in Saudi Arabia on Saturday
‘I hope it will all be over as soon as possible,’ the Austrian said.
‘I was already thinking about leaving at the end of last year, but I also think we should think about Dietrich [Mateschitz’s, the Red Bull founder] legacy, what his ideas were and where they took us. We owe that to him.’
De Telegraaf also reported that Marko had planned to fly back to Europe from Saudi Arabia with Horner but instead opted to take a private jet with Verstappen.
Marko suggested he was in the clear following his chat with Mintzlaff, saying: ‘We decided that these rumours [of the leaks] were spread and had no legal background. I will not be suspended.
‘Our goal is to win the world championship. For that we will have to work hard.’
On whether Verstappen, who made it back-to-back wins to start the season in Jeddah, would see out his Red Bull contract until 2028, Marko added: ‘That is a long time…
‘I was really thankful for how loyal Max was. I was impressed. We are not going to Mercedes together at the moment.’
All of which keeps the pressure on Red Bull principal Horner, 50, amid reports the women at the centre of the ‘sex texts’ scandal is planning to appeal the decision that cleared Horner of wrongdoing.
Horner, pictured with wife Geri Halliwell, was cleared of ‘coercive behaviour’ towards a female employee before messages allegedly exchanged between the pair were leaked
Horner was seen holding Halliwell closely in Jeddah as Red Bull cruised to another victory
She was suspended from her role at Red Bull following an independent internal investigation that cleared Horner of ‘coercive behaviour’, a verdict that was followed by text conversations allegedly between the pair being leaked by anonymous email.
Horner’s wife, the former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, again joined him in Saudi Arabia in a public show of support.
The Sun reported over the weekend that the female employee has changed legal representation and is planning to appeal the verdict that exonerated Horner.
A source quote by the outlet claims: ‘Christian and Geri are braced for more fireworks but a thorough investigation has already found in his favour.
Christian Horner, 50, shared photos of his wife Geri Halliwell, 51, in a Mother’s Day message
Horner shared photos of Halliwell with the the couple’s seven-year-old son on Instagram
‘The woman’s honesty has been called into question and her evidence was shown to be flawed.’
On Sunday, Horner received hundreds of comments from baffled fans after he posted a Mother’s Day message to Halliwell.
Fans claimed the timing of his message was ‘strategic’ amid his ‘sex texts’ scandal and branded him ‘stupid’ for not disabling comments on his Instagram.
He shared photos of Geri to mark Mother’s Day, along with a heartfelt tribute to her in the caption.
He wrote: ‘Happy Mother’s Day – So appreciative of the mums in our family for everything they do. We’re always grateful, today and every day.’
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk