Red Bull Director Dismisses Tension between Christian Horner and Helmut Marko despite reports

Oliver Mintzlaff, Managing Director of Red Bull, stated that there is no conflict between team principal Christian Horner and advisor Helmut Marko, countering rumors of friction.

Red Bull faced a difficult start to the 2025 season, struggling to match McLaren's pace and failing to support the team's second driver.

The team had to make the drastic decision to cut ties with a driver after only two races, prompting Yuki Tsunoda, who has often been overlooked by Red Bull until they needed to take action.

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After the controversial move, Max Verstappen finished P6 in Bahrain, prompting a "crisis meeting" between all of the senior technical staff and the rest of the Red Bull Racing brain trust.

In an interview with Bild, Mintzlaff asserted that he continues to have trust in all team members, despite the various reports.

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— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) April 24, 2025

“I have full confidence in every single employee,” he said.

“Helmut and Christian both want maximum success and subordinate everything to it.”

“It should not be forgotten that the two will have their 400th race together at the next Grand Prix in Miami."

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“Helmut was the one who hired Christian in 2005. The two have an incredible amount in common."

“It is clear that with all the pressure, emotions and passion, emotions can sometimes boil up,” he added.

“But then you have to sit down together and discuss it behind closed doors. And that is what we do.”

Despite the early season woes, Red Bull has managed to turn it around recently, securing pole position in Saudi Arabia and seemingly having the car perform better overall.

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This comes without any significant upgrades to the car as of now. Marko believes it is only a matter of time until Red Bull are regularly matching the McLaren car for pace.

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“We will have small steps, and I think by Imola we should be in a position that we also have the speed to beat the McLarens," he said.

“We are moving forward and getting a car which is more predictable and is also working in a wider range.”

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