Chaos and turmoil seem to have taken a liking towards Red Bull as controversies keep emerging from the team. The latest, in a series of controversies, stands in the form of an investigation around Helmut Marko. Reports suggest Marko was supposedly involved in the alleged Christian Horner leaks. Should it be true, the Austrian team reserves the right to suspend the 80-year-old. Enter Max Verstappen, who claims he, too, would consider his Red Bull future if Marko has to step down.
There have also been reports that talk about various clauses in the contract of Max Verstappen. Some of them claim he has an exit clause in the contract that he can activate anytime he wants. Meanwhile, some reports suggest that the 3X world champion has the option to leave Red Bull if there are ‘significant changes’ within the team. Given all of the above, Auto Motor und Sport reports Christian Horner believes he doesn’t need Marko or Verstappen to win.
In fact, the report even claims that Horner won’t even look to Newey and Ford for help. As such, the belief within Horner’s mind is that he can win in F1 without Marko, Verstappen, Newey, and Ford.
There has been a lot of chatter around Verstappen potentially moving to Mercedes off late. Given the chaos around the Red Bull management structure, these reports are catching further wind.
Adding the possibility of Marko moving away from the team only furthers the claims of Verstappen to Mercedes. Toto Wolff is already open to the idea of it and even has plans for the same. Meanwhile, Ford is growing increasingly wary of the unfolding situation at Red Bull and might well back down from their 2026 deal in favor of ‘saving’ their company’s image.
Max Verstappen pledges allegiance to Helmut Marko instead of Red Bull
Any action against Helmut Marko could end up having major consequences for Red Bull. The Dutchman is extremely loyal to Marko and outrightly claims Marko needs to stay in Red Bull for him to stay in the team. Admitting to having a lot of mutual respect for one another, Verstappen claimed Marko’s efforts for him go very far.
Ever since the passing of founder Dietrich Mateschitz, keeping the team together has been key for Red Bull. However, Marko remains a key factor in that team for Verstappen, and his departure may lead to the Dutchman’s departure.
Per Verstappen, if “such an important pillar” of the F1 and Red Bull community falls apart, it won’t be good for his situation either. Moving forward, there is immense uncertainty around the Red Bull camp. While their on-track domination continues to break boundaries, the team’s off-track antics continue to leave a blemish on their legacy.
