Who would’ve thought after winning both titles in the 2022 season with the most dominant display the sport has ever seen, Red Bull will be on its way to repeating the feat with a little more oomph? Most would assume this success and dominance in the last couple of years is all thanks to the brilliance of Max Verstappen. The Dutchman is, after all, well on his way to securing a third championship in as many years. However, Red Bull’s boss, Christian Horner does not believe so.

The oldest serving member of RBR believes if it weren’t for him, the Red Bull machine wouldn’t have been as successful. Forget Verstappen’s consistently brilliant racing output, which has earned him comparisons with the sport’s greatest. It’s Horner who has been the pioneer of Red Bull’s success. Who made this bold statement, you ask? As per a video shared on Twitter, while speaking to the media at the Austrian GP weekend, it’s Horner himself.

When asked to comment on the reason behind Red Bull’s success, Horner had a simple answer. He said, “Well it’s very simple really. I would say it’s the team principal.” His reply got a few chuckles from the crowd.

However, taking the conversation to a serious tone, Horner added, “On a serious note, it’s about all of the people. It’s about the culture, the spirit, the passion, the desire, the resistance, all of those factors, and how the group works as a team.”

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Well, there might be some truth to Horner’s self-proclaimed prowess. He definitely has built a team capable of being the best in F1. This is exactly why any suggestion that Red Bull is a one-driver team irks the team’s hierarchy. Exactly why Helmut Marko lashed out at the suggestion of it.

Helmut Marko drags Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes through the mud while commenting on the claim surrounding Max Verstappen

Following Verstappen’s dominant displays week after week, the media felt compelled to make a suggestion after the team’s 100th win. The suggestion claimed Red Bull Racing is a one-driver team. The claim gives no regard to Sebastian Vettel’s 38 wins out of 100.

However, how did Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton come into the picture? To elaborate, Hamilton has already amassed 82 wins for Mercedes. During the same period, Rosberg comes second with a mere 23 wins. Now, to put things in perspective, Verstappen is at 41 career wins so far. This is exactly why the suggestion irked Helmut Marko and his following comments are proof of that.

Speaking to the media, he said, “Mercedes had how many wins with [Lewis] Hamilton? [It was] only one year where Nico [Rosberg] was really strong. But, I think Max [Verstappen] is such a strong driver that at least Checo [Perez] survived two years already. You have to see it this way.”

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Be careful before saying against Marko’s star pupil, especially if it’s such an insensitive suggestion. Although, if Red Bull keeps dominating like they are currently and Verstappen stays on till 2028, this suggestion might just prove to be premature.