Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko will leave the company at the end of this year, Sky Sports News understands.
Marko has advised Red Bull’s F1 operation since the team joined the grid in 2005, and also worked with the group’s second squad — Racing Bulls, which debuted as Toro Rosso in 2006. The 82-year-old has a close relationship with Max Verstappen and is believed to have played a key role in 2024 when Verstappen’s future was uncertain amid allegations against Christian Horner that were later dismissed.
A driving force behind Red Bull’s junior programme, Marko has been influential in promoting young talent into Formula 1 and is known for making hard decisions on driver pathways. His departure is part of a broader reshaping at Red Bull led by CEO Oliver Mintzlaff, following Christian Horner’s removal earlier this year.
Red Bull F1 team principal Laurent Mekies praised Marko after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, saying: “Helmut has been incredible in how supportive he has been into helping us turning around things this year. Obviously, him and top management had quite a few difficult decisions to make in the year, and of course, we always know F1 is not a static environment. You always adjust your organisations. It applies to technical, it applies to sporting, and it’s completely normal that we review how we can improve the way we operate all the time. I’m not saying that specifically for Helmut, but I’m saying that in general, we are in an environment where we always challenge each other and look for the next steps, no matter how small it is in trying to work together. But I can only thank Helmut for the role he has played into making fundamentally better what looked like a difficult situation mid-season.”
Will Marko’s exit affect Verstappen?
Verstappen has previously described Marko as an “important pillar” and a “second father”; they first met when Verstappen was 15 in 2013. Marko was instrumental in fast-tracking Verstappen to F1 after just one year in Formula 3, making him the youngest driver in the sport’s history at 17 in 2015. Verstappen has maintained loyalty to Marko for pushing Red Bull to take the risk of promoting him so quickly.
Verstappen’s contract with Red Bull runs until the end of 2028, but his future has been the subject of speculation amid internal tensions in recent years and questions over car performance. With new regulations arriving in 2026 that could reshuffle the competitive order, on-track performance will be the primary factor in his decision-making.
Red Bull’s strong development in the second half of this year — nearly engineering a comeback to take the Drivers’ Championship from McLaren and Lando Norris — will reassure Verstappen, but he will prioritize being in a competitive car in 2026. For that reason, Marko’s departure alone is unlikely to change Verstappen’s calculus about his future.