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World champion Verstappen, motorsport boss Marko: "Without him in the team, I think there will be a problem, including for myself."
Photo: F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain / ANP / IMAGO
World champion Max Verstappen has warned the bosses at Red Bull of possible drastic consequences if long-time motorsport consultant Helmut Marko leaves the company early.
“Without him in the team, I think there will be a problem, including for myself,” said Verstappen on Friday evening in the Formula 1 paddock in Saudi Arabia.
He will “absolutely” stand up for Marko.
What that could look like will become apparent next week, Verstappen explained.
One thing is clear: “Helmut has to stay, that’s very important for me too.”
When asked whether it could come down to either the two of them staying or neither, Verstappen replied: "Of course we will talk about it." He said every year, "They all know that at Red Bull too, that for myself “Helmut always has to be there,” said Verstappen.
And if not: “Then we may have a big problem in the team.”
Marko had hinted at his possible suspension in an interview with ORF.
"The theoretical possibility always exists," he had said.
However, Marko added that he decides for himself what he will do.
A conversation this Saturday, when the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix takes place, should bring clarity.
Above all, it could bring the next serious shocks to Formula 1.
What exactly Marko is accused of that would justify a suspension remained unclear for the time being.
However, it is now becoming increasingly clear that Marko appears to be team boss Christian Horner's opponent in the power struggle of the world champion racing team.
The 80-year-old Austrian was a close confidante of the company founder Dietrich Mateschitz, who died in October 2022.
Like Horner, he has been there since joining Red Bull in 2005 and is considered an important supporter of successful drivers such as Verstappen, but also Sebastian Vettel, who won the World Cup four times in a row with Red Bull from 2010 onwards.
The 50-year-old Horner had been accused of "inappropriate behavior" by an employee, but after an "independent investigation" the complaint was dismissed by the parent company.
Anonymous emails with files on the matter were then sent to media representatives, but also team bosses and Formula 1 bosses.
When questions were asked about team boss Horner at the start in Bahrain a week ago, Verstappen's comments were more reserved.
Max Verstappen's father Jos had called for Horner to end as team boss.
Verstappen has three titles in a row.
It is practically impossible to imagine it continuing like this without Marko.
“What we have achieved together goes back a long way, and my loyalty to him is great,” emphasized Verstappen.
»He is an important part of my decisions, also regarding the future of the team.«
bka/dpa/sid