F1
Helmut Marko is preparing to retire and leave Red Bull
© Joao Filipe / DPPI
Helmut Marko's piercing blue eyes sweep across the paddocks of Formula 1 For over 50 years. The story began on August 15, 1971, when he took the start of his first F1 Grand Prix, at home in Austria on the Österreichring. As fate would have it, that day also marked the debut of his illustrious compatriot Niki Lauda.
However, Helmut Marko's career was less glorious than that of the three-time world champion: in his 9th Grand Prix, at Charade (Puy-de-Dôme), he was hit in the face by a piece from the car of Emerson Fittipaldi and loses an eye. After some time away from the paddocks, the Graz native returns to business when Dietrich Mateschitz offers him the opportunity to advise him on the arrival of Red Bull in Formula 1. It started with supporting young drivers, then with the arrival of the team on the ruins of Jaguar in 2005.
For over 20 years, the Milton Keynes-based team has thrived and came very close to clinching its ninth Drivers' title last Sunday in Abu Dhabi. Helmut Marko witnessed his protégé's victory. Max Verstappenbut also to his defeat, since the crown returned to Lando NorrisThis may be the last image the octogenarian Austrian leaves in a Formula 1 paddock: that of his kindness towards Gianpiero Lambiase, the engineer of the four-time world champion, who was in tears after the finish. For the time seems to have come for Marko to retire, according to the well-informed Telegraph.
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A new chapter could be beginning at Red Bull.
"It's not uncertain, I'm going to discuss it and then I'll see what I do. It's a complex set of different things. I need to sleep on it and we'll see.", he said Sunday evening. A great friend of Dietrich Mateschitz, architect of Red Bull's successes alongside Christian Horner, with whom relations deteriorated at the end, an unparalleled discoverer of extraordinary talents, Helmut Marko is one of the most solid stones of the sound foundations that make up the Red Bull.
"Helmut has been incredible in the support he has given us to turn things around this year.", praises Laurent Mekies. “Obviously, he and management had to make several difficult decisions during the year, and of course, we know that F1 is not a static environment. You are always adjusting your organizations. This applies to the technical side, to the sporting side, and it is perfectly normal that we are constantly looking at how to improve the way we operate. I'm not saying this specifically about Helmut, but generally speaking: we are in an environment where we are always questioning ourselves and looking for the next step, however small, to work better together. But I can only thank Helmut for the role he played in fundamentally improving what seemed to be a difficult situation mid-season.”
If he doesn't leave with a title, Helmut Marko, known for his high standards for his young drivers, has taken one last gamble by promoting Isack Hadjar to Red Bull and demoting Yuki tsunoda to the rank of test driver. The Frenchman, adored by his mentor who nicknamed him "the Little One". Cheers " now has all the cards in hand to succeed and perpetuate the legacy and advice of Helmut Marko.
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vincent moyet
08/12/2025 at 11:25 a.m.
A wind of change is blowing through Red Bull, and this will continue with the arrival of Ford and Hajar. Let's hope for our French hopeful that the atmosphere becomes more convivial, despite the presence of the formidable Verstappen, who could very well leave the team himself, either if the performance isn't there, or if he finally follows through on his repeated threats to quit F1.
Creek
08/12/2025 at 08:02 a.m.
Exactly Hervé 06. It won't be a great loss.
Yves-Henri RANDIER
08/12/2025 at 07:06 a.m.
A rather controversial figure, a former driver who found success in sports prototypes rather than F1... but who, above all, made or broke the careers of many aspiring F1 drivers and F1 drivers themselves! After Horner's forced departure in mid-2025, which cost Red Bull GmbH a small fortune, the voluntary retirement of the good Doctor Helmooooooout will be less painful for the Austrian energy drink company's wallet!
DANRV64
08/12/2025 at 06:27 a.m.
He should be entitled to a full pension!
Alain Féguenne (🇱🇺 Luxembourg)
08/12/2025 at 06:25 a.m.
For Red Bull, this will be a loss… but to replace him… they'll need someone experienced… and above all, someone with charisma… and character… (Niki Lauda style) 😎👀🇱🇺👀👍
Herve 06
08/12/2025 at 05:56 a.m.
He's not someone I'll miss. He's one of those frustrated drivers, like Jos Verstappen, who seek to vent their frustration on others, albeit in very different ways.