07/06/2024
NEWS STORY
Helmut Marko says that he and Christian Horner have reached a truce as power struggle is put aside in order to allow Red Bull to focus on the titles.
On the very day that most of us in the free world were remembering the events of 80 years earlier on the beaches of Normandy, Red Bull 'consultant' Helmut Marko echoed the words of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain in the months leading up to the second World War.
Though he wasn't holding a piece of paper emblazoned with the words 'let's be friends - Christian', Marko did effectively suggest that going forward there will be peace.
The Austrian, of course, was referring to the power struggle at Red Bull which is clearly taking its toll on the team. While Adrian Newey insists that it played no part in his decision to leave, the fact is that in the last couple of races the Austrian team has struggled.
While it only failed to win one race in 2023, so far this year it has been beaten twice in eight outings, as McLaren and Ferrari close in.
Whatever the rights and wrongs of the Horner saga, it is clear that the Austrian team has taken its eye off the ball, and consequently Marko admits that the behind the scenes power struggles must be put aside and the Milton Keynes based outfit must refocus.
We have reached a truce," he tells Austria's Kronen Zeitung. "We will combine all our forces.
"Even if we are no longer superior, we want to win," he adds. "We definitely want to get the maximum out of it and look towards the World Championship title.
"We have lost the dominance of the first three races," he admits. "The competition has caught up in the third year of the current regulations, copied some things and even improved them. There is not much room for innovation anymore. This is simply a logical development, nothing negative."
The Austrian recently cited correlation as being the issue behind the RB20's inability to ride kerbs, and fears this could once again be an issue this weekend.
"Ferrari is better there, also in terms of top speed," he concludes. "The fact is, we're not going to Canada as favourites."