He is a well-known face to Formula 1 followers. The influential advisor to the Red Bull team, Helmut Marko, a member of the Austrian team since his arrival on the grid in 2005, will leave his position at the end of the year, several media reported on Tuesday.
The 82-year-old Austrian, close to quadruple Dutch world champion Max Verstappen and also responsible for Red Bull’s young driver sector.
It is also he who would be at the origin of the signing of the young French driver Isack Hadjar at Red Bull from next season. He also gave him the nickname “Little Prost” due, in particular, to his small size (1.67 m).
A surprise departure since Helmut Marko had a contract for 2026. He should therefore not honor it.
The decision was taken on Monday in Abu Dhabi following a meeting between Red Bull executives, including Oliver Mintzlaff, one of the Austrian firm’s managing directors in charge of sports, according to the motorsport.com website. When contacted, the Red Bull team did not respond to AFP’s requests.
Questioned on Sunday after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, concluded by the world coronation of Briton Lando Norris (McLaren) with only two points ahead of Verstappen, the Austrian left doubts about his future: “It is not in question, but I will have a discussion and then I will see what I do. It’s a complex set of different things.”
The Frenchman Laurent Mekies, director of the team since July and the dismissal of the historic British boss Christian Horner, had also suggested that changes were being prepared behind the scenes.
“Formula 1 is not a static environment”
“Helmut has been incredible in the support he has given us to help us turn things around this year. Obviously, he and management had to make several difficult decisions during the year, and of course we still have to make them. But Formula 1 is not a static environment: we are always adjusting the organization, whether in the technical or sporting fields,” explained the manager.
“It is perfectly right that we continually examine how we can improve the way we operate. I’m not saying this specifically for Helmut, but generally speaking, we are in an environment where we are constantly questioning ourselves and looking for the next steps, no matter how small, to work together,” he added.
