Red Bull chief ‘faces suspension’ in new chaos after Horner’s sexting storm
RED BULL’s team advisor Helmut Marko reportedly believes there is a “theoretical possibility” he could be suspended following Christian Horner’s sexting storm.
The 80-year-old has played an important role in Red Bull’s success in Formula 1 in recent years.
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However, he now believes his future with them is up in the air and he may not even make it to the Australian GP on March 24.
Marko was also given strict instructions not to speak to the media and if found guilty of disclosing confidential information, he could face disciplinary action.
Should he be fired, there is suspicion in the paddock that this could lead to a clause in the Dutchman’s contract, clearing the way for him to break his contract with Red Bull and join Mercedes to close.
It comes a day after Sun Online revealed that the female employee who made the initial complaint had been suspended on full pay.
But Verstappen, who took pole position for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah this weekend, is furious at suggestions that Marko could be forced out.
He said: “I am loyal to Helmut. He plays a big and important role in my decision-making and it is important that he stays within the team, including everyone else.
“It is important that we keep people together, because if an important pillar disappears, that is not good for my career either.
“So for me, Helmut has to stay. He built this team [Red Bull co-founder] Dietrich Mateschitz has been loyal from day one.
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“You have to give the man respect for what he has done and that comes back to loyalty and integrity and is important to why he remains part of the team.”
This new distraction is something that both team boss and Verstappen do not want to see.
Horner, 50, is fighting a female assistant’s discredited claims that he bombarded her with ‘sexually suggestive’ messages.
Horner was cleared of inappropriate behavior towards a female colleague following an internal investigation.
But the Red Bull boss was then plunged into crisis again after an anonymous email leak of WhatsApp exchanges claiming to be evidence from the investigation.
He now says he wants to “draw a line” under the scandal, as he salutes his “phenomenally supportive” wife, Spice Girl Geri Halliwell.
Geri – who was left in tears when the scandal broke – stood by her husband in an awkward show of solidarity in Bahrain last week after hundreds of embarrassing messages were leaked.
And Ginger Spice will join Horner at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix tomorrow in a new public show of support.
In the meantime, Verstappen has taken his father’s side in the bitter row that threatens to tear Red Bull apart.
Jos Verstappen claimed after his son’s victory in Bahrain last week that Red Bull would “explode” if Horner remained in the lead.
Verstappen, who has since been linked with a move to Mercedes as a result of his father’s row with Horner, said: “My father is always very open. He’s not a liar, that’s for sure.”
When asked further about his relationship with his father and manager, Raymond Vermeulen, Verstappen says they will ALWAYS be by his side while he races in F1.
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He added: “I certainly don’t see myself in F1 without them by my side.”
He was then asked about his father’s comment that Red Bull might ‘explode’, to which Verstappen replied: ‘I don’t know, I hope not! That shouldn’t be the case. It’s a strong company, it’s a strong team, a lot of strong team members, so normally not.
“Whether you have an argument or not, there are always things that can be resolved.
“In that sense, everyone is man enough and respectful enough for each other.
“I also don’t agree with everything that has happened, not about lately or anything, just in general in F1.
“Sometimes it’s good to talk about things. Sometimes you agree to disagree, that’s what happens in a relationship.
“It’s not about being isolated from it. I think in Bahrain you could see that it doesn’t affect the team’s performance.
“Ideally you wouldn’t want to have these moments as a team, but it also shows that I think we are all focused on our job and that is performing on the track.”
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