Marko disputes Horner’s account of Verstappen’s Red Bull signing

Helmut Marko has challenged Christian Horner’s account of how Max Verstappen joined Red Bull, backing Ralf Schumacher’s rebuttal of the former team principal’s version.

According to Motorsport.com, Horner claims in his forthcoming autobiography, *Drive*, that Marko did not want a young Verstappen in the Red Bull team and that the driver’s father, Jos Verstappen, played a decisive role in securing the deal.

Marko told Austrian outlet oe24 he was ignoring the controversy as much as possible. He praised Schumacher’s response: “Ralf Schumacher handled it very well.” Schumacher had called Horner’s account of the signing “an absolute lie”.

Schumacher recalled that Marko approached Max when he was 11 and a half years old. In his account, Jos replied that it was still too early. Marko backed that defence and said the timing had not been right in those early karting days.

Marko also addressed a separate decision: Verstappen’s promotion to Red Bull’s senior team in 2016. He alleged that Horner tried to block it and considered Verstappen too young and inexperienced. Verstappen won on his Red Bull debut at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.

Horner left his position as Red Bull team principal in 2025. His autobiography *Drive* is scheduled for release on 22 October 2026.