HELMUT MARKO: THE DEVISIVE CHARACTER WHO HELPED RED BULL TO BECOME MODERN F1 POWERHOUSE

Helmut Marko will step down from his role with Red Bull

At the end of two decades at Red Bull, possibly the most divisive character in modern Formula 1 in Helmut Marko, can be credited with a huge role in the team’s success.

While Marko has grabbed headlines with sharp-edged comments, his influence surrounding the young driver programme at Red Bull can and should not be understated.

In his two decade spell in association with Red Bull, Marko has overseen the development of 20 drivers into F1, including the most successful in Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel.

With Vettel and Verstappen at the helm, Red Bull won eight Drivers’ titles and six Constructors’ Championships between 2010 and 2024, along with over 100 race victories.

Oliver Mintzlaff, Red Bull’s CEO of Corporate Projects and Investments, branded the outgoing Marko “an engine of innovation, and a cornerstone of international motorsport”.

“His instinct for exceptional talent not only shaped our junior program but also left a lasting impact on Formula 1 as a whole. Names like Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen stand for the many drivers who were discovered, supported, and guided to the very top under his leadership. His passion, his courage to make clear decisions, and his ability to spot potential will remain unforgettable.”

Aside from the title winners, Marko has also unearthed plenty more talented drivers who have had healthy stints in F1, with seven of the 20 drivers on the grid in 2025 having advanced through the Red Bull junior programme. And as F1 and Red Bull enter an exciting new era, Marko’s eye for talent could see the Red Bull family on the front foot in 2026.

Helmut Marko unearthed Isack Hadjar, who will race with Red Bull in 2026

Red Bull’s new era

Isack Hadjar, who steps up to the senior team for 2026, and Arvid Lindblad for Racing Bulls, will be the last two drivers to emerge from Red Bull’s talent pool under the control of Marko.

Hadjar’s exciting debut F1 season, which saw him become the youngest French driver to stand on the podium, alongside Lindblad’s promising Formula 2 campaign, sees Red Bull in a good position to enter F1’s new era in 2026.

Alongside a new engine partnership with the Ford Motor Company under the helm of new Team Principal Laurent Mekies, 2026 will be the first season for Red Bull without its cornerstone team members.

Marko marks the last figurehead of the original Red Bull F1 project to depart the Milton-Keynes squad and the end of a significant era of success for team.

After the departures of Johnathan Wheatley, Adrian Newey and most notably long time Team Principal Christian Horner it felt like a matter of time before Dr Marko would step away and allow Red Bull to enter its new evolution under the steady hand of Mekies.

While Marko has been a huge influence in Red Bull’s success in regards to his ability to spot talent early, his departure seems timely as the Red Bull brand looks to the future under a completely new leadership structure.

This alongside a list of controversies sees it unsurprising that Red Bull keen to enter its new era without such a divisive figure at the forefront of its future.

Helmut Marko was a divisive character in the paddock

Not without controversies

After the death of Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz in 2022, someone with whom Marko had a close relationship, and significantly, the departure of Red Bull’s two-decade-long team boss Christian Horner midway through 2025, Marko’s position within the team has become increasingly untenable.

Away from his tremendous success regarding the young driver programme, Marko has had a tumultuous history of stirring the pot and saying the wrong things.

The Austrian has clashed with Red Bull’s new management style on multiple occasions since the team’s change in direction including derogatory statements made regarding then Red Bull driver Sergio Perez in late 2023.

Marko had blamed Perez’s fluctuations in form on the track on the Mexican driver’s ethnicity claiming ” he is South American and he is just not as completely focused in his head as Max is or as Sebastian.”

More comments aimed towards Andrea Kimi Antonelli after this season’s Qatar Grand Prix, where Marko claimed the Italian had “waved Norris past” on the penultimate lap in Doha, saw the Italian receive thousands of messages of abuse for an honest on-track mistake.

This alongside a failed attempt to oust Marko in early 2024 has soured the atmosphere within the Red Bull family and dampened spirits despite the team’s great successes and dominant recent seasons.

While F1 will remember Marko for his success in cultivating Red Bull’s driver talent, a string of controversies will always linger on a somewhat tarnished legacy.

- Daniel Harris

MEKIES REVEALS SHOCK CALL THAT MADE HIM RED BULL TEAM BOSS

 

XPB

Laurent Mekies has revealed the exact moment he was informed he would replace Christian Horner as team principal and CEO of Red Bull Racing – describing it as a bolt from the blue that he had to "quickly digest" before embracing the challenge.

Red Bull stunned the Formula 1 paddock earlier this month when the energy drink company announced that Horner, who had led Red Bull Racing since its inception in 2005, was stepping down with immediate effect and replaced by Mekies, previously in charge of sister outfit Racing Bulls.

Speaking to F1.com ahead of his first race weekend in charge at Spa-Francorchamps, the Frenchman described the whirlwind moment when Red Bull GmbH managing director Oliver Mintzlaff and motorsport advisor Helmut Marko delivered the news.

"Obviously, it came out of the blue, as [it did] for you guys, so mine was probably quite similar to you," Mekies said.

"I received a call a few hours before everyone was made aware. And it was from Oliver and Helmut, and it took me by surprise.

"Initially, I asked them if you have to think about it and then you quickly realise... then try to digest and then you say, well, wait a second, it's Red Bull calling you to step in that role. How can it be anything else than an honour and a privilege?

“So, you get that Red Bull energy feeling there, and that's how it happened. Obviously, I called them back, and the rest is history."

From Shock to Strategy: Mekies Outlines His First Moves

While the appointment came with little time for preparation, Mekies quickly focused his attention on building relationships inside the team and understanding the internal dynamics of one of F1’s most successful operations.

"I think the biggest element was then how do you get into it. The first thing that pops into your mind is, you need to meet the people and that was really what was in my mind,” he explained

"How do you now use the time? To meet these incredible people, to meet the teams, to start to get to know each other, to start to interact, to understand the strengths, to understand the dynamics, to understand all of that."

He acknowledged the early days are still part of a long learning curve.

"And it's been only two weeks, and you are nowhere near where you want to be, but it's a completely different feeling once you start that process and you get to know more people every day, so it makes it quite an incredible journey."

Mekies now faces the immense task of leading Red Bull into its post-Horner era, with the team's on-track form under scrutiny and star driver Max Verstappen closely watching developments.

But for the 48-year-old engineer, the sudden opportunity is one he now fully embraces – with Red Bull’s signature energy already carrying him into a new chapter.

- Phillip van Osten

'TOGETHER WE CAN DISCOVER WHAT IS POSSIBLE': JURGEN KLOPP TAKES NEW JOB

Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will take up the role at Red Bull in January

Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says he “could not be more excited” after he was appointed Global Head of Soccer at Red Bull’s multi-club network.

Klopp, who left Liverpool in the summer after nine glorious years at the club, will start in January at the group, where he will oversee teams including RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg.

“After almost 25 years on the sideline, I could not be more excited to get involved in a project like this,” he said.

“The role may have changed but my passion for football and the people who make the game what it is has not. 

“By joining Red Bull at a global level, I want to develop, improve and support the incredible football talent that we have at our disposal. 

“There are many ways that we can do this front using the elite knowledge and experience that Red Bull possesses to learning from other sports and other industries. Together we can discover what is possible. 

“I see my role primarily as a mentor for the coaches and management of the Red Bull clubs but ultimately, I am one part of an organisation that is unique, innovative and forward looking.”

Red Bull, bankrolled by its energy drink business, has pioneered the multi-club model that has since been further developed by City Football Group and others.

Besides their German and Austrian teams, they also own New York Red Bulls and two clubs in Brazil, and this year took a minority stake in Leeds United.

Red Bull clubs are known for their canny identification of young talent, player development and a high-energy playing style that shares similarities with Klopp’s favoured tactics.

While Klopp, 57, appears to have left management behind, he is reported to have a clause in his contract allowing to leave if offered the German national team job.

“We are very proud of this outstanding and certainly the strongest signing in Red Bull’s soccer history,” said Oliver Mintzlaff, CEO Corporate Projects and Investments at Red Bull.

“Jurgen Klopp is one of the greatest and most influential figures in world soccer, with extraordinary skills and charisma. 

“In his role as Head of Soccer, he will be a game changer for our involvement in international soccer and its continued development. 

“We are hoping for valuable and decisive impulses in key areas to make the clubs even better, both collectively and individually.”

- Frank Dalleres

NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE HORNER AFFAIR: MINTZLAFF ALREADY WANTED TO TERMINATE HIM!

A magazine publishes an explosive story that meticulously documents the affair surrounding Christian Horner - who was almost fired by Red Bull.

(Motorsport-Total.com) - The affair surrounding Christian Horner, the team boss of Red Bull Racing, is not coming to an end. After a highly explosive data leak became known , which was leaked to hundreds of people in the Formula 1 paddock on the sidelines of the season opener in Bahrain, a story that contains new explosive material is now appearing in the March issue of the industry magazine BusinessF1 .

On 17 pages, the Horner affair is detailed in detail and, among other things, the name of the employee who made the allegations against Horner is mentioned for the first time. It is told how the woman collapsed on the sidelines of a racing weekend and, crying, told colleagues for the first time about her boss's transgressive behavior.

Many of the details of the story weigh heavily on Horner. If they are true, it is hard to imagine that the 50-year-old will survive the affair as team boss of Red Bull Racing. However, it is important to note: As of today, many of the details are difficult to clearly verify, which is why our editorial team is refraining from publishing them.

What can be verified, however, is an exciting sub-strand of the story that casts Red Bull GmbH's handling of the Horner affair in a completely new light. As is well known, Formula 1 team bosses such as Toto Wolff and Zak Brown in Bahrain had publicly criticized the non-transparent handling of the matter .

It was on the morning of February 2nd, just one day after the announcement of Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari, that the next earthquake began to emerge in Formula 1. The decision-making level at Red Bull GmbH in Fuschl had already become aware of the allegations made by Horner's personal assistant weeks ago, discussed them intensively - and came to the conclusion that morning that Horner's behavior was impossible to reconcile with the company's code of conduct is.