Marko fudges his Red Bull exit explanation – The end of an F1 dynasty was finally complete following the 2025 Formula One season finale in Abu Dhabi. The triumvirate of leaders who had shaped the ashes of the Jaguar F1 programme into a perennial front running championship team have now all left Red Bull Racing.
Adrian Newey was the first to read the writing on the wall as the once disruptive and rebellious F1 team began a transition into its new corporate future. He quit the team in 2024 to ultimately take up another team building role in Silverstone for Aston Martin.
Having received a five year contract extension for leading Red Bull Racing to an all dominant 2023 season, team boss Christian Horner was finally exited by the heir of Red Bull empire builder Didi Mateschitz along with the new corporate colleagues at the company’s HQ in Austria.
Disappointment of Verstappen failure
Dr. Helmut Marko who founded the Red Bull junior driver academy long before a Formula One team was even imagined has now left the organisation with immediate effect despite there being a final year on his current employment deal.
The Red Bull consultant has now spoken out over the reasons behind his departure, although there is a feel he may somewhat be putting a glossy sheen on the decision. Speaking to Austrian broadcaster ORF, Marko attempts to spin that it was the disappointment of failing to achieve there biggest ever comeback in F1 history for his protege Max Verstappen which most affected his thinking.
“We had a difficult season this year,” Marko explained. “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,” claimed the 82 year old Austrian.
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Crucial moment in Qatar
The record fifth consecutive title was lost to Verstappen the week before the season finale when on the penultimate lap in Qatar, Kimi Antonelli made a small mistake. Having held Lando Norris off for some 15 laps despite the McLaren driver having fresher rubber, Antonelli with fading grip made a mistake allowing Norris to come through and claim P4 at the chequered flag.
Had Antonelli kept the McLaren driver behind him and the result in Abu Dhabi remained the same, P3 would not have been enough for the British driver and the championship would have gone to Verstappen. The pair would have been level on points but Max had an all important advantage on countback having won 8 races to Norris 7.
Knowing the crucial impact in the moment, following the error by Antonelli, Verstappen’s race engineer suggested over team radio that the Mercedes driver had “pulled over and let Norris through.” Dr. Marko fuelled the conspiracy theory by claiming to Sky DE after the race in Qatar, that “it was too obvious” and Antonelli had “waved” Norris by.
A storm the erupted on social media with a host of keyboard warriors attacking Kimi Antonelli, even sending death threats. Red Bull Racing were forced to issue a statement of clarification affirming they did not believe Kimi’s move was deliberate and was in fact a result of him losing grip on his ageing tyres.
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Marko apologises
Arriving in Abu Dhabi just days later, Dr. Marko retracted his initial opinion stating: “I’ve looked at the footage again very carefully… it was a driving error and not intentional”. He specifically expressed remorse for the online backlash the young Italian had suffered concluding: “I’m sorry that Antonelli got so much flak online”.
Having flown to Dubai after the race, Marko revealed he had time to ponder his situation. With a contract in place for one more season in his role as Red Bull advisor, it would have been expected the Austrian would remain in post given his protege Max Verstappen had confirmed he was continuing into 2026 with the Red Bull team.
Having suggested the loss of the title for Max was a deciding factor, Marko flipped flopped stating it was time despite the result. “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.”
Always one ready to playoff the cameras, Marko lifted the lid on how his actual departure decision was made. “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.
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“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. That happened ad hoc. The other shareholder from the Thai family was also present. But it was all very amicable and went very well.
“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.”
Verstappen previously gave his unconditional backing for Marko when in 2024 it appeared he may be suspended for allegedly leaking documents from the Christian Horner internal investigation. Yet it appears such has been the transfer of power and control to Styria, not even the support of their star F1 driver wold have saved Marko from his fate.
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Dr. Marko now served his purpose
Further, Marko’s comments suggest there was a discussion over how he could continue at Red Bull given he believes a “partial solution was still possible.” The doctor also stated if he were to remain, “if we were going to do it, we had to do it completely.“
It appears the reality was that the often outspoken Marko had outlived his usefulness for the Red Bull Austrian overlords. Verstappen is committed for 2026 and should Red Bull prove competitive he will remain, otherwise his loyalties will lie with there team who have the best powertrain and chassis.
Gone is Marko’s influence over whether Max stays or goes at Red Bull Racing, so gone is his usefulness to the men in grey suits who want to reign in the entrepreneurial beast that is the F1 racing team and transform it into something more corporate – even more palatable for the sponsors and money men.
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In the aftermath of the Formula 1 season finale in Abu Dhabi, speculation intensified over whether Lewis Hamilton was preparing to bring his illustrious career to an end. His subdued tone and reflective comments on Sunday only fuelled the discussion.
For the first time, the seven-time world champion did not dismiss the idea of walking away, admitting he was focused less on the future and more on spending time with family over the Christmas period. The remarks were enough to spark widespread debate about whether Hamilton’s difficult debut season with Ferrari had pushed him towards retirement….. READ MORE
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
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