Helmut Marko dismissed Christian Horner's upcoming autobiography claims that he opposed signing young Max Verstappen to Red Bull. Marko pointed to Ralf Schumacher's strong defense, with the former Formula 1 driver calling Horner's account an absolute lie about the Verstappen signing.
Schumacher recalled that Marko approached Verstappen when he was just 11 and a half years old, but Jos Verstappen said it was too early. Marko confirmed this version, explaining the timing simply wasn't right during those early karting days, but they reconnected later in Formula 3.
Marko countered Horner's narrative by claiming it was actually Horner who tried to block Verstappen's historic promotion to Red Bull in 2016. He insisted he brought Max into Formula 1 and had to beat Horner to secure Verstappen's debut victory at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.
The bitter exchange reflects the documented bad blood between Horner and Marko following the power struggle after Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz's death. Horner departed the team in 2025, and his book is set to hit shelves in late October with several controversial claims about his time at Red Bull.