Personnel quake in Formula 1
After leaving Red Bull: Ex-boss denies rumors
12/10/2025 – 5:19 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Helmut Marko is leaving Red Bull after two decades. There was wild speculation about the circumstances of the Austrian’s departure. Was he pressured to resign? Now the 82-year-old has spoken out.
Max Verstappen’s long-time supporter Helmut Marko from the Formula 1 team Red Bull has resigned on his own initiative. “No, I was by no means pressured to leave,” said the 82-year-old in an interview with RTL, ntv and sport.de about rumors of an involuntary withdrawal.
The season finale in Abu Dhabi, where Verstappen missed his fifth world title by two points against Lando Norris in the McLaren despite a win, was the point “where I said to myself, now is the right time to stop,” said Marko.
On Monday he had a meeting in Dubai with Oliver Mintzlaff, managing director of Red Bull GmbH, “and expressed my wish. And after some discussions he accepted it.” Mintzlaff tried to persuade him “but saw that I was consistent. And we parted on good terms.” Marko still had a contract until 2026.
Marko spoke of a “total withdrawal”, but he might turn up at one or two Grand Prix as a “neutral visitor”. Regarding his plans, he said: “Well, I won’t start with feeding pigeons, but I have enough activities.”
For 20 years, the motorsport consultant was a defining figure in the racing team’s rise to one of the industry leaders in Formula 1. The former confidant of Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz, who died in 2022, also promoted the career of four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, among other things. According to his own statements, the former racing driver worked in motorsport for six decades.
According to media reports, Red Bull is not planning to fill Marko’s role. Accordingly, speculation that PS pensioner Vettel (38) could return to his former employer as a consultant would also be unfounded. “My idea is not relevant. Red Bull decides all of this. There are many names, but no decisions yet,” said Marko.