Horner says Red Bull became selective about what it discussed around Marko

Christian Horner says Red Bull became more selective about what it discussed in Helmut Marko’s presence in the late 2000s, after Horner believed the adviser was sharing sensitive insider information with media outlets he favoured. The former team principal recounts the change in his forthcoming memoir, *Drive*.

Marko was an adviser to Red Bull GmbH, not formally a member of Red Bull Racing. Horner says he regarded the disclosures as a threat to the team’s intellectual property. He also alleges that Marko claimed credit for successes and cast blame for setbacks when reporting to owner Dietrich Mateschitz.

Horner says he raised his concerns with Marko repeatedly. In Horner’s account, Marko argued his innocence and sometimes denied speaking to journalists, even when he had been quoted directly and on the record. Horner also writes that the leaks exasperated the team, particularly Adrian Newey.

Horner also recounts an episode from 2008 involving David Coulthard’s retirement. Coulthard was weighing up whether to stop racing while Red Bull had Sebastian Vettel waiting in the wings. Horner says he and Coulthard agreed that the driver would announce his retirement at the British Grand Prix, his home race, and that he pressed Marko to let Coulthard announce it on his own terms. A month before Silverstone, Horner recounts, Marko told Coulthard at a urinal that Red Bull would take Vettel the following year.

Horner recalls Coulthard telling him, “I think I’ve just been retired in a toilet.” He says he was annoyed, believing Marko had disrupted a delicate process.