Well then, this is big. Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s long-serving ‘motorsport advisor,’ has decided to leave the outfit he helped shape into a Formula 1 juggernaut at the end of 2025. Which is… sort of now, then.
The 82-year-old worked at Red Bull for more than 20 years and was a key part of its F1 success. Despite multiple world titles, Marko said it was this year’s championship fight—that saw Verstappen make the mother of all comebacks but still fall short at the very end—that changed his mind.
“I have been involved in motorsport for six decades now, and the past 20-plus years at Red Bull have been an extraordinary and extremely successful journey,” he said. “It has been a wonderful time that I have been able to help shape and share with so many talented people. Everything we have built and achieved together fills me with pride.”
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“Narrowly missing out on the world championship this season has moved me deeply and made it clear to me that now is the right moment for me to personally end this very long, intense, and successful chapter,” he added.
CEO of corporate projects and investments at Red Bull, Oliver Mintz, said: “I deeply regret his decision, as he has been an influential figure for more than two decades, and his departure marks the end of an extraordinary era.”
Marko was instrumental in delivering Red Bull’s multiple world titles, by developing drivers like Sebastian Vettel and, of course, Max Verstappen—both have claimed four world championships. The team itself is currently on six constructors’ championships, too.
Other stats Red Bull has released about Marko’s tenure include: 132 wins, 23 podiums, 11 pole positions, and 106 fastest laps. Not by him, of course, but through drivers and a team outfit he helped shape.
And the list of drivers he’s brought in (and some he’s churned through) includes names like Hadjar, Lawson, Tsunoda, Albon, Gasly, Sainz, Ricciardo, and incoming rookie Arvid Lindblad.
“I wish the entire team continued success and am convinced that they will be fighting for both world championship titles again next year,” he added. What do you think a Marko-less Red Bull will look like next year? Answers below.
NOTE: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
