Helmut Marko’s adventure at Red Bull concludes: the 82-year-old executive from Graz has decided to leave the Austrian outfit following a legendary tenure
Helmut Marko out from Red Bull. On Sunday, the journey of Dr. Marko—an illustrious representative and key executive of the Milton Keynes-based team—came to an end within the Red Bull world, and presumably, within the world of racing entirely.
At the age of 82, Helmut has decided to call time on his life in the F1 circus, leaving Red Bull with an extraordinary legacy: 8 Drivers’ Titles and 6 Constructors’ Titles, distributed equally between Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.
Beyond the triumphs, of which there were many, Marko can take immense satisfaction in having always championed the growth of drivers from the Red Bull nursery. He brought not only Verstappen into F1 (Vettel debuted with BMW Sauber) but also talents such as Ricciardo, Gasly, Albon, and Kvyat, through to Tsunoda, Lawson, and Hadjar.
20 Years, 417 GPs, and Countless Victories: What Helmut Marko Leaves Behind
Helmut Marko’s history at Red Bull is undeniably studded with enormous success: in just 20 years, the team secured 14 World Championships, with Marko witnessing 417 Grand Prix races contested by “his” Red Bulls—of which he was practically a founding father—along with hundreds of podiums and victories.
Although he was often criticized—perhaps rightly so at times—for his management of second drivers (with Gasly, Albon, Tsunoda, and Lawson serving as prime examples), there is no doubt that in 2026, Red Bull will lose a key piece on its chessboard, as well as its official advisor.
The executive clarified the reasons for his departure to the Austrian podcast ORF: “We had a difficult season this year. It was particularly tortuous in the middle section; we were 104 points behind McLaren in the Netherlands. Then we began a comeback that was certainly unique. But unfortunately, it didn’t work out at the last race. We lost the championship by 2 points“.
Regarding when the decision was made: “Although this comeback was unique, the disappointment was great and bitter. It hit us hard. Even after the race, I felt that we had lost something.. On Monday, I stayed in Dubai. It was at that moment that I made my decision. Even if we had won, it would have been a good reason to leave this job. But now, with hindsight, even the fact of having lost is a good point in favour “.
“I didn’t speak to anyone about it, but I called Oliver Mintzlaff, the manager responsible for Red Bull in Dubai, and asked him if we could meet briefly. We met before dinner. We discussed for a long time whether a partial solution was still possible. It all happened in an improvised way. But it was all very friendly and went very well “.
Gratitude to Verstappen
Helmut Marko concluded his interview by discussing Max Verstappen and the indissoluble relationship that binds them: “There was a certain melancholy in the air. He said he never imagined achieving such success. But everything has an end. I wished him the best for the future. He said we would definitely meet somewhere, sometime. Just as happened with Red Bull, everything ended on excellent terms “.
“The bond was certainly very intense, or perhaps the most intimate, I couldn’t say. But it was the closest bond I had ever had with a driver. And the fascinating thing was that, as the years went by, Max Verstappen became faster, more mature, better. And even today, I don’t see the end of this development, even though he is already the best driver. That was the fascinating thing “.
The advisor concluded with further praise: “We hardly ever had differences of opinion. There was some nonsense, especially at the beginning. But the more success he achieved, the simpler his approach became. He became much calmer. He hardly ever had moments of weakness or outbursts of anger, which were obviously present at the beginning. Max has become such a personality that, despite his relatively young age, he leads a team and can lead it the way he does .
“Would I have acted differently in some situations today? With hindsight, one always acts differently when learning from one’s mistakes, but overall it was the right path to follow. And it was always characterized by a certain spontaneity and willingness to take risks. But all this from a sporting point of view“. .
Photo: Oracle Red Bull Racing
