Horner speaks about Marko: 'Even 80-year-old can still learn'

Christian Horner has responded to Helmut Marko's statements for the first time. Horner spoke of a wise lesson for Marko and pointed to the popularity Sergio Perez enjoys within the Red Bull Racing team.

Over the past week, one man has been the main topic of conversation: Helmut Marko. The Red Bull Racing advisor had spoken out on Perez. The Mexican would not be as focused as Max Verstappen and Marko attributed that to Perez's Mexican heritage. Not so convenient, of course, Horner also remarked to Sky Sports.

Horner takes issue with Marko

'Those comments weren't right. I think Helmut quickly recognised that and apologised for that both publicly and directly to Sergio. He spoke directly to Sergio about it. You're always learning in life, even at 80 years of age. Lessons have been learnt,'' said the Red Bull Racing team principal after the first free practice session at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

''Checo is a massively popular member of our team. He is an important member of our team. I pushed very hard to sign him for the 2021 season. We have a huge following around the world, and we take that very seriously and very responsibly. The fan following, not what just Checo has but the team and F1, we are conscious of. This is his 250th race. We want to focus on that. From Helmut's perspective, he has apologised. He is not an employee of Red Bull Racing. So in terms of why didn't we put a statement out, he's part of the Red Bull wider group. The group issued that apology through the Servus TV channel.''

Horner was also asked about an internal penalty for Marko. ''Helmut is an employee, or a consultant to the group. So it's not really a question for me to answer. We've spoken about it and I know he regrets what he said. Even at 80 years old, it's not too late to learn,'' Horner concluded.