Helmut Marko’s Red Bull future on the line as crucial meeting looms – report
Helmut Marko is reportedly facing a fight for his future.
Helmut Marko reportedly faces a crunch meeting over his Red Bull future with senior figures wanting him out.
Marko had looked to be previously untouched under Dietrich Mateschitz’s reign but the Red Bull founder’s passing last year has brought a new dynamic, one that has filtered into the operations of Red Bull Racing.
The sporting CEO Oliver Mintzlaff is said to be one of many Red Bull employees keen to move on Marko, as is team principal Christian Horner.
Helmut Marko facing a make-or-break Red Bull vote
Marko did himself no favours in recent weeks when he used xenophobic and false statements to criticise Red Bull’s own driver Sergio Perez.
The incident, for which Marko was forced to apologise for, brought further tension to the team and put an increased focus on the role of the 80-year-old Austrian.
As an advisor to Red Bull GmbH, Marko is not actually employed by Red Bull Racing, meaning he is not under Horner’s control and reportedly senior staff at the drinks company have also run out of patience.
According to an article co-written by former F1 driver Luciano Burti for Brazilian outlet Globo, a meeting will be held this week to determine the future of Marko within Red Bull.
This comes off the back of a rise in tension between Horner and Marko with the former taking an increased role in the running of AlphaTauri, something which in the past has been part of Marko’s job remit.
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Horner told PlanetF1.com in August that he played an active role in deciding the future of the sister team, including hiring CEO Peter Bayer and incoming team principal Laurent Mekies.
The Red Bull Racing CEO and team principal is also reportedly keen to drop Yuki Tsunoda from the AlphaTauri seat despite the $10 million it brings the team from Honda. Marko has advised against such a move, warning it could create friction with Red Bull’s current engine partners.
Lining up on the opposite side of the table to Marko is reportedly Horner and Mintzlaff who oversees Red Bull’s sporting ventures.
Mateschitz去世后,他的股价传递给son Mark Mateschitz and co-owners TC Pharmaceuticals are playing an increased role in the Red Bull operation.
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