MAY 3, 2013

Who is in charge at Red Bull?

In the wake of the 'Multi-21' team orders debacle, an important question has emerged at Red Bull -- who is really in charge?

In the wake of the 'Multi-21' team orders debacle, an important question has emerged at Red Bull -- who is really in charge?

On the one side is team boss Christian Horner, who co-owns a GP3 team with Australian Webber, and who called Sebastian Vettel "silly" in Malaysia for refusing to follow the famous order.

But not only have the sort of team orders that should have delivered victory to Webber now been scrapped by Red Bull, it seems the Australian driver's very future at the team could soon end.

Some suspect the increasingly strong influence of Dr Helmut Marko, the Vettel-aligned, right-hand man of Austrian countryman and team owner Dietrich Mateschitz.

Horner found the need this week to insist that Marko actually has "no operational responsibility or input" into how the team is run, and is just "an advisor".

But Spain's El Confidential claims that, mere weeks ago, Marko gave a very different account of his role at Red Bull.

"I am a director of Red Bull Racing alongside Christian and Mateschitz," he is quoted as saying.

"Whatever happens in the team comes to me and, if necessary, I take it up to the owner (Mateschitz), so I take the final decision."

(GMM)