Marko Warns Horner As He Reacts To Jos Verstappen's Comments

Friday, 30 August 2024 at 12:30

Red Bull's motorsport advisor Helmut Marko warned Christian Horner as he addressed Jos Verstappen's comments made after the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix.

Following the 15th round of the season in the Netherlands, where Max Verstappen finished more than 22 seconds behind Lando Norris, Jos Verstappen again publicly criticized the Red Bull Racing team.

He asserted that the team could not sugarcoat their problems anymore and needed to take responsibility. He pointed to Christian Horner, suggesting it was up to him to get the team back on track.

Addressing Jos Verstappen's claims the following week, ahead of the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix, Helmut Marko suggested these comments should be taken with a grain of salt. However, he also highlighted the acuteness of the situation. He told Kronen Zeitung:

"Jos is Jos. He's just a very emotional guy and made his statements without a proper analysis. But that shouldn't be overestimated. We've had a few unfortunate results recently and were sometimes beaten below our potential."

"In Zandvoort, we had the wrong setup, but of course. We clearly feel the pressure, we have to improve and the updates have to have an effect."

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Marko then surprisingly also asserted that Horner "has to show quality" during this tough period for the team from Milton Keynes with a statement similar to Jos Verstappen.

"Horner has to show quality. Sugarcoating things won't help us in this situation. But Horner has also admitted mistakes."

"We are self-critical, but we have a lot of good people who can turn things around."

In terms of what the 81-year-old believed was possible to achieve during the 16th round of the season at Monza Circuit in Italy, he said:

"The team has worked hard to find the best setup and balance for this old-school track. Of course, we have a tough job ahead of us."

"I think it will be very close between McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes and us. One thing is certain: we will not be beaten as clearly as we were recently in Holland."