"Wish Niki was still here but happy Helmet still is": Fans react to Red Bull boss Christian Horner comparing Helmut Marko to Niki Lauda

Several F1 fans were left a bit emotional when Red Bull team principal Christian Horner compared the influence of Helmut Marko to former F1 world champion Niki Lauda.

The Austrian world champion had played a crucial part in the Mercedes F1 team's success during its dominant period, working as an advisor until he passed away in 2019. Lauda and Marko were really close in the paddock and came from the same country and background.

While appearing on ESPN Unlapped, the Red Bull team boss defended some of Marko's decisions and said:

"He's a tough operator with the junior drivers but if they can't survive Helmut, they'll never survive F1. He's a communication manager's nightmare. So when Helmut goes rogue, then you guys only have to prod him and you'll get a headline. But he just calls it as he sees it. In many respects it's very similar to how Niki Lauda was, they come from the same generation and have the same makeup. At 80 years of age, he's still looking for purple sectors."

"He's still watching every Formula 3 session, every F2 session, every split time and following the young talent religiously. I've always had a very straightforward and good relationship with him," he added.

F1 fans took to social media to react to Horner's comments and give their take, with one fan claiming that we should be grateful that Marko is still with us.

"Wish Niki was still here but happy Helmet still is," the fan wrote.

Here are some more reactions:

Red Bull team boss praises Max Verstappen's race engineer GP Lambiase

Christian Horner claimed that it is essential to have a 'strong character' like GP Lambiase to work with double world champion Max Verstappen.

"I think to race engineer Max Verstappen you've got to have strength of character because he is one tough customer. Many race engineers would crumble under that pressure and GP has got the strength of character to deal with that," the Brit said.

"GP is our Jason Statham equivalent, I guess, they certainly look alike...! He deals with him firmly but fairly and there's a great respect between the two of them. The only problem is that conversation between the two of them, 200 million people are listening to. But there's a great bond and a great trust between the two. There's no counseling required," Horner added.

Several other race engineers might not have been as successful as Lambiase while dealing with the Red Bull superstar.