According to numerous reports, Red Bull were on the verge of suspending Helmut Marko. This created ripples inside the Austrian team as factions began to form with immediate effect. However, prior to this alleged decision, Marko had already given it a thought to retire from his role at Red Bull.
Marko reportedly received the wrath of the Milton-Keynes-based team after talks emerged that the Austrian had allegedly leaked Christian Horner and the female employee’s chat to the media. This triggered the investigation on the Red Bull advisor and the energy drink brand team fell into a big gravel trap.
Coming back to Marko, Dietrich Mateschitz, the co-founder of Red Bull and founder of Red Bull Racing passed away in October 2022. Following his death, Marko, a very close confidante of him, had the chance to part ways with the team whenever he wanted to. However, he decided to stay back.
Now, as the talks about forced departure arrived, the 80-year-old revealed to the De Telegraaf, “I was already thinking about leaving at the end of last season. But I think we should also think about team founder Dietrich Mateschitz and his legacy, what his ideas were, and where it brought us.”
He also unraveled how it is of extreme importance to take the team to great heights because the team owes that to Mateschitz. “But I also see it as a kind of respect to an incredibly amazing personality,” further asserted the Austrian veteran on his late compatriot.
Most recently, Marko, upon hearing the talks of suspension revealed to the media that he would withdraw from the team in the Australian GP. This sent shockwaves through the team and brought Max Verstappen, probably the most sought-after member of Red Bull currently, into play.
Why does Max Verstappen support Helmut Marko?
Max Verstappen’s connection with Helmut Marko goes a long way. Apart from being a supportive figure to the driver, Marko was the man who picked Verstappen up from the junior category. He lured the Dutchman into Toro Rosso with the promise of an F1 seat.
Therefore, the three-time world champion backed Marko against the suspension. With that, he also informed Sky Sports that there might be problems if the 80-year-old walked out of the team. This grabbed the attention of Red Bull’s higher officials.
To sort things out, CEOs of Red Bull – Oliver Mintzlaff and Frank Watzlawick met with the 80-year-old in the Shangri-La Hotel in Jeddah, ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix race. As the meeting concluded, Marko and Mintzlaff came out together, laughing, signifying their unity.
Amid all this, Christian Horner did not forget to mention how one man cannot be bigger than the team. He explicitly mentioned the role of Helmut Marko, and Max Verstappen in the team and how Red Bull is made up of 1400 people and the team attained success only because all of them were involved.
