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Red Bull boss Christian Horner has drawn comparisons between Helmut Marko and the late F1 legend Niki Lauda for their straightforward nature.
Marko is known for speaking his mind and not holding anything back when he talks to the media. Niki, a fellow Austrian, was somewhat similar in that sense as even he was very straightforward in the way he conducted himself.
Talking to ESPN in an exclusive chat, Red Bull boss Christian Horner talked about how Helmut Marko was always a communication manager's nightmare. Marko has the tendency to speak his mind and more often than not, it makes headlines.
Referencing the somewhat brash nature in which he continues to remain straightforward, Horner felt that there were a lot of similarities between Marko and Lauda in the way they approached things.
“He’s a communication manager’s nightmare. When he goes rogue, then you guys [the media] only have to prod him and you’ll get a headline. But he just calls it as he sees it. He will tell you exactly what he thinks which in many respects is very similar to how Niki Lauda was," Horner said.
“That same generation, same makeup in many ways. But there’s a great respect for Helmut and what he’s done and contributed over the years and at 80 years of age, he’s still looking for purple sectors,” he added.
How the Red Bull boss first met Helmut Marko
Christian Horner fondly remembered how he first met Helmut Marko in 1996. The Red Bull boss talked about how he had gone to Helmut to buy a trailer for his Formula 3000 and Formula 2 team.
“I’ve known him for a long time. When I first met him in 1996, I needed to buy a trailer for the Formula 3000 and Formula 2 team that I had. Helmut, first of all, he’s a passionate racer. He was a good driver himself until his accident and he’s just very direct. With junior drivers, he’s picked some great ones. He’s a tough operator with the junior drivers but if they can’t survive Helmut, they’ll never survive Formula 1," Horner recalled.
“He’s 80 years young, he’s still watching every Formula 3 session and following the young talent religiously. I’ve always had a very straightforward and good relationship with him,” he added.
Both Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have been together in building Red Bull since the team's inception in 2005. It has been interesting to see how the two have built such a juggernaut in all these years.
