RED BULL’S team advisor Helmut Marko reportedly believes that there is a “theoretical possibility” that he could be suspended following the Christian Horner sexting storm.
The 80-year-old has played a major role in Red Bull’s Formula One success over recent years.
However, he now thinks that his future working with them may be up in the air and he may not even make it until the Australian GP on March 24.
De Telegraaf journalist Erik van Haren revealed the news on social media during qualifying for the upcoming race in Jeddah.
He claimed that Marko had spoken to Austrian broadcaster ORF and stated that there was a “theoretical possibility” that Red Bull could suspend him.
And he was, therefore, unsure on whether he would be present for when the F1 season hits Melbourne in a fortnight.
His potential suspension could have a huge impact on reigning champ Max Verstappen.
F1-Insider have stated that the Dutchman’s presence at Red Bull is partially down to the experienced advisor being involved with the team.
That report also claims that if the Austrian departs, then Verstappen could activate an exit clause in his contract.
The reason behind any potential suspension for Marko remains unclear and it was only last year that he vowed to remain performing his Red Bull duties for the foreseeable future.
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But this new distraction is something neither team principal or Verstappen will want to see.
The 50-year-old Horner has been battling a female aide’s discredited claims that he bombarded her with “sexually suggestive” messages.
Horner was cleared of inappropriate behaviour towards a female colleague following an internal investigation.
But the Red Bull boss was then plunged back into a crisis following an anonymous email leak of WhatsApp exchanges claiming to be evidence from the investigation.
He now says that he wants to “draw a line” under the scandal while saluting his “phenomenally supportive” wife, Spice Girl Geri Halliwell.
Geri – who was left in tears when the scandal broke – stood by her husband last week in an awkward show of solidarity in Bahrain after hundreds of embarrassing messages were leaked.
And Ginger Spice will join Horner at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix tomorrow in another public show of support.
Meanwhile, Verstappen has sided with his dad in the bitter row that threatens to rip Red Bull apart.
Jos Verstappen claimed following his son’s win in Bahrain last week that Red Bull would “explode” should Horner remain in charge.
Verstappen, who as a result of his dad’s row with Horner, has since been linked with a switch to Mercedes, said: “My dad is always very outspoken. He’s not a liar, that’s for sure.”
When asked further about his relationship with his father and manager, Raymond Vermeulen, Verstappen says they will ALWAYS be by his side while he is racing in F1.
He added: “I don’t see myself in F1 without them by my side for sure.”
He was then asked about his dad’s comment that Red Bull could “explode”, to which Verstappen replied: “I don’t know, I hope not! It shouldn’t be. It’s a strong company, it’s a strong team, a lot of strong team members, so normally not.
“If you have arguments or not, there’s always things that can be worked out.
“Everyone is man enough and respectful enough to each other in that sense.
“I’ve also not also agreed with everything that happened, not talking about lately or whatever, just in general in F1.
“Sometimes it’s good to have a discussion about things. You might agree to disagree sometimes, that’s what happens in a relationship.
“It’s not about being isolated from it. I think you could see in Bahrain that it doesn’t affect the performance of the team.
“Ideally as a team, you wouldn’t like to have these moments, but it also shows that I think we are all focused on our job and that’s to perform on the track.”
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