Behind Horner's back
“Marko clause”: added quietly and secretly?
The clause that would allow Max Verstappen to leave Red Bull if Helmut Marko is dropped has probably only recently been added. And in a clandestine move that Christian Horner knew nothing about.
Rumors about the departure of world champion Verstappen have persistently circulated around the Horner case. When the internal power struggles at Red Bull threatened to escalate, a special clause in the Dutchman's contract finally became public. If the racing team drops Helmut Marko, the world champion can leave the team.
Marko was eventually allowed to stay and recently there were even reports of a public "truce" at the racing team. Behind the scenes, however, things continue to be turbulent. Marko's hermitage could be an even more explosive piece of the puzzle in the internal power struggle than previously assumed.
As reported by motorsport-total, it was not part of the original contract that Verstappen and Red Bull signed in 2022. Rather, it was only added recently. And behind the back of team boss Horner.
Marko was allowed to act on his own authority
The contract addendum had been introduced independently by Marko and the Verstappen side. As the Austrian is one of two directors at Red Bull Racing, he was allowed to act alone on behalf of the team in this case.
The racing team has never publicly commented on the background to the clause. However, it seems to serve above all to protect Marko and give Verstappen security with regard to the team's performance. The words of the world champion also fit in with this: "At the end of the day, it's about relationships within the team and communication. If things that are very important to you disappear in the team, then that would be an intolerable situation if that were to happen. I have always been very open in this respect and everyone knows that."
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