Marko acknowledges unrest within Red Bull: 'We lack a charismatic leader'
- Sandy van Wijngaarden
The death of Dietrich Mateschitz in October 2022 hit Red Bull Racing like a bomb. The founder of the energy drink brand and thus the Formula 1 team was of great importance to the Austrian racing stable. Helmut Marko says his passing is still a big loss.
Just before the 2022 Grand Prix weekend in Austin, Dietrich Mateschitz passed away. Red Bull's team managed to win the constructors' title that same weekend. In recent months, there has been a lot of unrest within the Austrian racing stable. Two camps have emerged, namely the Austrian camp and the Thai camp. Both are on one side of the situation surrounding Christian Horner.
Marko sees change in Red Bull Racing atmosphere
Speaking to Motorsport.com, Helmut Marko admits that the atmosphere has changed in Milton Keynes since last winter. The Austrian does not want to conclude whether this is because of the situation around Horner. However, he does state the following: ''There are other factors influencing this. We are missing a hugely charismatic leader. That would also change a bit in other companies". By this, Marko is referring to Dietrich Mateschitz.
The Red Bull adviser was also asked whether he thinks Adrian Newey would have left the team if Mateschitz were still alive. "I don't think so," he replied. Whether the composition of Red Bull Racing's management would still be the same, Marko dare not answer. "I cannot say yes or no to that," he said.
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy