Marko lifts the veil: Why he walked away from Red Bull

Helmut Marko has never been one to shy away from straight answers, and as he opens up about his departure from Red Bull after a quarter-century at the helm of its driver programme and Formula 1 operations, he offers a surprisingly reflective – and at times melancholic – explanation of what really motivated the decision.

For years, speculation swirled that Marko’s increasingly unfiltered public comments had nudged him toward the exit.

Yet the Austrian insists that his departure, announced after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, came from within – sparked not by media storms, but by a brutally tight championship battle that ultimately slipped through Red Bull’s fingers.

A Title Lost, and Something Lost With It

“We had a difficult season this year,” Marko said, speaking to Austria’s ORF.

“It was particularly bumpy in the middle. We were 104 points behind in Holland. Then we started a comeback that was certainly unique. But unfortunately, it didn't work out in the last race. We lost the championship by two points.

“Although this comeback was unique, it was still a very bitter disappointment. It hit us particularly hard. Even after the race, I felt that something had been lost.”

That sense of something “lost” – an emotional thread that had defined his decades alongside prodigious talents from Sebastian Vettel to Max Verstappen – became, in his own telling, the tipping point.

“I then stayed in Dubai on Monday. That's when I made my decision. Even if we had won, it would have been a good reason to leave this job. But now, in hindsight, because we lost, it's also a good point.”

Marko’s timing also intersects with the sweeping regulations for 2026, including new power units and revamped chassis rules. Though he was not part of Red Bull’s technical design process, he says the looming generational shift made his exit feel even more natural.

Behind-the-Scenes Conversations – and a Touch of Melancholy

Rumours circulated that Marko’s departure might create a domino effect, particularly concerning Gianpiero Lambiase, Verstappen’s trusted race engineer. Marko dismissed that notion outright, before turning to how his own resignation unfolded.

Asked whether he had discussed his exit with Verstappen before acting, he explained:

“I didn't discuss it with anyone, but called Oliver Mintzlaff, the manager responsible at Red Bull, in Dubai and asked if we could meet briefly. A kind of championship dinner was planned. And we met before the dinner.

“I told him what I wanted. We discussed for a while whether a partial solution was still possible. I said that if we were going to do it, we had to do it completely,” he explained.

“That happened ad hoc. The other shareholder from the Thai family was also present. But it was all very amicable and went very well.”

• Read also: Vettel pays tribute to Marko as kingmaker steps aside

Verstappen, who had been expected to attend the meeting, missed it.

“Max should have been there too. There were some problems with his flight, so he wasn't there.

“I called him the next day. It wasn't a normal conversation. There was a certain melancholy in the air. He said he never could have imagined that he would ever achieve such success.”

For a relationship forged long before Verstappen reached Formula 1 – Marko personally spearheaded his path into Red Bull’s system – the moment carried the emotional weight of an era ending.

From ‘Maybe We’ll Win a Race’ to 14 World Titles

Marko’s exit closes a chapter that began with modest ambitions. When Red Bull purchased the struggling Jaguar and Minardi outfits nearly two decades ago, expectations were hardly soaring, as Marko recalled.

“Let’s try it, maybe we’ll win a grand prix,” he quoted Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz as saying.

That modest dream turned into 14 world championships and 130 Grand Prix victories – more than any other team in the period – with Marko at the centre of Red Bull’s ferocious youth pipeline and competitive ethos.

Now, at 82, he steps away on his own terms, guided as much by introspection as by the sporting heartbreak of 2025. And fittingly, he leaves with the same mix of bluntness and vulnerability that made him one of Formula 1’s most distinctive power figures.

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook