Helmut Marko slams Christian Horner for damning accusations after Red Bull exit

Helmut Marko has issued a swift response to allegations from Christian Horner that he worked towards the removal of the former Red Bull team principal.

Horner spent more than 20 years in charge of Milton Keynes-based Red Bull Racing, taking the helm of the team not long after the energy drinks manufacturer bought the former Jaguar squad in 2004.

Horner went on to oversee Red Bull's transformation into a major F1 team as the outfit went on to have spells of domination at times over the next two decades.

The first of these was between 2010 and 2013 when Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull achieved four straight Drivers' and Constructors' Championships together towards the end of the V8 engine era.

Horner outlines 'radio silence' from Marko since Red Bull exit

Mercedes became the dominant force in the sport from 2014 onwards with the introduction of new turbo hybrid V6 engines, but Red Bull eventually toppled the German brand's monopoly of titles through Max Verstappen's dramatic 2021 championship win over Lewis Hamilton.

That was to be the first of four straight drivers' titles for Verstappen, while Red Bull also claimed the constructors' crowns in both 2022 and 2023.

But Horner departed Red Bull midway through the 2025 season and has kept a low profile since then, before returning to the public eye recently with the release of his upcoming autobiography 'Drive'.

To publicise the book, Horner has undertaken a range of interviews and has been asked about his exit from the team he led for more than two decades.

Horner pinpoints the death of Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz in 2022 as the turning point in the relationship between himself and now former Red Bull advisor Marko, which appeared to deteriorate from that point onwards.

Speaking to German publication BILD, Horner accused Marko of working towards his removal from Red Bull and admitted the pair do no longer have a relationship.

He said there has been 'radio silence' since his departure and has not seen Marko since his last day in the job where the duo shared a handshake.

In the interview (via F1 Insider), Horner said: "It hurt me that he worked so hard to get me fired, especially after my ex-partner and the mother of my daughter had passed away. He didn't even offer his condolences. That wasn't very classy."

Marko issues blunt response to Horner allegations

Marko himself has since retired from his role at Red Bull following the end of the 2025 F1 season in which Verstappen was pipped to a fifth Drivers' Championship by McLaren's Lando Norris.

And in a typically blunt response to the allegations made by Horner, Marko has described them as a 'collection of untruths' as he declined the opportunity to comment further and address them.

Speaking to F1 Insider, the 83-year-old said: "That's a collection of untruths, I don't want to address them at all."

Marko is credited with overseeing the development of multiple young drivers through the Red Bull system including world champions Vettel and Verstappen, as well as the likes of Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Daniil Kyvat, Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson, Isack Hadjar and Arvid Lindblad.