Marko rejects Horner's account of Verstappen signing

Helmut Marko has rejected Christian Horner's account of Max Verstappen's recruitment to Red Bull, backing Ralf Schumacher's description of the claim as “an absolute lie” and alleging that Horner himself resisted the Dutchman's promotion in 2016.

The dispute concerns Horner's forthcoming autobiography, Drive, which is due to be released on 22 October. The former Red Bull team principal, who left the team in 2025, claims Marko initially did not want Verstappen and that the driver's father, Jos, played a decisive role in securing the agreement.

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Marko backs Schumacher's response

Speaking to Austrian outlet oe24, Marko indicated he did not intend to engage extensively with Horner's version of events.

“I'm ignoring it as much as possible,” he said, before endorsing Schumacher's response: “Ralf Schumacher handled it very well.”

Schumacher, the former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports pundit, had challenged the book's account by describing an approach from Marko while Verstappen was still a child.

“Marko approached Max when he was just 11 and a half years old. At the time, Jos said it was still too early for him,” Schumacher said.

According to Schumacher, Marko was disappointed by that response. His account places Marko's interest well before Verstappen's eventual arrival in Formula 1, rather than portraying him as an obstacle to the signing.

Early contact and Formula 3

Marko supported Schumacher's defence, saying the timing of that early contact had not been right during Verstappen's karting career.

“It worked out well the way it did,” Marko told oe24.

He pointed to Verstappen's subsequent time in Formula 3 as the period when their paths converged again, leading to a partnership that ultimately brought the Dutchman four world championships.

A separate dispute over promotion

Marko also challenged Horner over the decision to move Verstappen into the senior Red Bull team in 2016, claiming the then-team principal had reservations about the young driver's readiness.

“He thought Max was too young, too inexperienced...” Marko said of Horner.

Verstappen won the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona on his first appearance for Red Bull. Marko cited that race while asserting his own role in bringing Verstappen into F1 and overcoming Horner's objections.

The exchange leaves two sharply conflicting accounts of Verstappen's recruitment and promotion ahead of the book's publication.