Following the death of Red Bull’s boss and founder Dietrich Mateschitz last year, the Austrian company’s hierarchy saw huge changes internally. Among the many proposed changes rumored to have taken place, Business F1 reported that the new Red Bull bosses wanted Helmut Marko to retire. But things changed after Marko built a good relationship with the.
Marko was a close friend of Mateschitz’s for three decades and they both worked together to take their F1 team to the top. After the Red Bull supremo passed away, losing his 30-year close companion was a devastating blow for Marko, both personally, and seemingly on a professional level too.
However, the new CEO of their Corporate Projects, Oliver Mintzlaff, who was appointed after the demise of Mateschitz wanted Marko to retire due to his age. Now, things changed after Mintzlaff met the 80-year-old veteran.
Helmut Marko’s importance in Red Bull
Marko has been an instrumental character in Red Bull’s history since its formation. He has played the role of a taskmaster in the team and has been responsible for bringing in drivers like Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen who went on to become world champions.
Mintzlaff soon understood the importance Marko plays in the team and therefore had to change his mindset. The decision was also influenced by the decline Mercedes went throughout following the passing away of their chief, Niki Lauda.
Helmut Marko has stressed that Red Bull’s demonstration F1 car is “not prepared” for Max Verstappen to launch a record attempt around the Nordschleife 🗣️
So that is why he blocked him trying it in September 😅#F1 pic.twitter.com/PMK9mApbbl
— Crash F1 (@CRASH_NET_F1) June 29, 2023
With Marko and Mintzlaff developing an excellent working relationship, the former was happy with how things worked out well even after Mateschitz’s death. Speaking about this, he said, “Everything has worked out and we have the freedom we need as well as the budget. Everything is in the green.”
Role Helmut Marko played in Red Bull’s development
There was a wave of uncertainty in Red Bull fraternity after the founder of the company Dietrich Mateschitz passed away. However, Helmut Marko revealed that everything remains stable despite the apparent shock they all received at the news.
There have not been major and noticeable changes in Red Bull’s hierarchy except for the appointment of Oliver Mintzlaff to the top position. As for Red Bull Racing, the team hasn’t seen noticeable changes either with the outfit continuing their domination on the track.
All in all, Red Bull has an advantage over other teams with Marko’s experience at their disposal. He is someone who gives them a significant edge with his sharp decisions. However, keeping his age in mind, Red Bull could be looking to make changes by phasing him out of his role.
