Helmut Marko says Christian Horner ‘didn’t agree’ with Red Bull’s decision to promote Max Verstappen

Follow us on Google Discover

Helmut Marko has revealed that Christian Horner ‘didn’t agree’ with Red Bull’s decision to promote Max Verstappen. 

10 years ago, Verstappen announced himself to the Formula 1 world by becoming the sport’s youngest Grand Prix winner.

After replacing Daniil Kvyat for the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, the Dutchman took the chequered flag ahead of Ferrari duo Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel.

Since then, Verstappen has broken multiple records and won four consecutive world titles from 2021 to 2024.

Verstappen’s dominance came to an end in 2025, with Lando Norris pipping him to the world title by two points.

Helmut Marko says Christian Horner ‘didn’t agree’ with Red Bull’s decision to promote Max Verstappen

Reflecting on Verstappen’s career, Marko has revealed that the then-team principal Horner was not too keen on promoting the Dutchman to Red Bull. 

Marko also stated that Verstappen’s teammate at Toro Rosso at the time, Carlos Sainz, was ‘very disappointed’ to be overlooked for promotion. 

Speaking to Dutch news outlet De Telegraaf, Marko said: “Kvyat crashed twice in that race (Russian Grand Prix). The previous year, he had a decent performance and was even sometimes faster than Ricciardo, especially in the rain. 

“But in 2016, he wasn’t the same driver and complained about the brakes from the first day of testing. It was clear we had to do something.

“Max’s teammate, Carlos Sainz, was very disappointed that we hadn’t chosen him. But for us, it was a clear and simple decision.

“Team principal Christian Horner didn’t agree with promoting Max after only four races in 2016; he was against it. Likewise, many rivals and critics put a lot of pressure on me, saying that Max was still too young and that it was a risky decision.”

Mohammed Ben Sulayem expects to see Christian Horner return to F1. Which team would be his best landing spot?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

READ MORE: Mark Webber recalls why Red Bull’s founder ‘always loved’ Max Verstappen’s ‘gladiatorial spirit’

Helmut Marko says Max Verstappen showed ‘intelligence and maturity’ during his first F1 win

At the age of just 18 and racing in his first Grand Prix for Red Bull, Verstappen had to hold off a veteran in Raikkonen during the closing stages of the race.

In truth, Verstappen was handed a huge helping hand by Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg crashing into each other, but Marko recalls the ‘maturity’ the Dutchman showed on his way to victory.

Marko added: “Although Kimi was faster on the straights, he couldn’t overtake Max because he drove with so much intelligence and maturity. Not even Jos or Max’s manager, Raymond Vermeulen, could believe it.

“For me personally, and also for Dietrich, it was a huge relief. People thought we were crazy, but now we could shut all the critics up.

“It was great for Red Bull as a brand: a fresh, young face as a representative figure. Mentally, Max was much older than eighteen.”