Helmut Marko still ‘open and available’ for Red Bull guidance after exit – Mekies

Red Bull’s current racing stable has remained in contact with Helmut Marko, several months after the senior advisor left the team, having made himself “very open and available” to the team for conversations when needed.

Marko helmed Red Bull’s junior programme for two decades before stepping down at the end of 2025, and has played a significant role in all of the programme’s graduates having taken their first steps in Formula 1.

Helmut Marko still ‘behind the corners if we need him’ for Red Bull advice

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The Austrian had reported directly to parent company Red Bull GmbH’s top table, rather than Red Bull Racing itself, and was responsible for overseeing the programme which has brought the likes of Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz into the sport.

While famously a hard taskmaster, pushing for the best results possible with every driver, Verstappen in particular likened him to being a ‘second father’ in a racing context as far back as 2018, with the two having held a “very emotional” call when Marko informed Verstappen of his exit.

While no longer a part of the team, the former senior advisor has kept tabs on the current stable of drivers, as team principal Laurent Mekies explained.

He told a recent episode of the Beyond the Grid podcast: “Helmut has remained very open and available to us. I am [talking to him], they are, I’m sure we are all having chats with him and getting guidance from him, even though you don’t see him turning up at the racetrack.

“You can’t turn the page of Helmut that has been building this young driver programme for two decades with incredible success. You don’t turn that page quickly. So we are living on his legacy right now, and as I said, he’s behind the corners if we need him.”

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Verstappen spoke with a similar sentiment at the season opener in Australia, given the amount they have shared through the Dutchman’s career ever since he joined the Red Bull stable at 15 years old.

Asked about the atmosphere without him at Red Bull, Verstappen told PlanetF1.com and others: “Maybe a few less Austrian-sided jokes from Helmut, but I’m in touch with him anyway. Maybe not so much about details of the car, but just life.

“I shared so many moments with him so, of course, it will feel a little bit different in the garage, but you also have to just look ahead, right?

“You have to think about performance, but at the same time, like I said, great relationship, and we stay in touch anyway.”

Isack Hadjar, who stepped up to Red Bull for the 2026 season, had a rocky start in Formula 1 after crashing on the formation lap on his debut in Australia last year.

Marko received backlash for labelling his emotions at that moment “embarrassing” on Hadjar’s part, with the Frenchman going on to respond not just build a reputation on track, but be chosen as Verstappen’s teammate for 2026.

Hadjar, too, is still in contact with his former junior team mentor, though when asked about how the Austrian responded to the youngster’s start at Red Bull and if he had been impressed, Hadjar quipped with a smile in China that “he’s never impressed”, referring to Marko’s high standards.

The team’s latest junior graduate, Arvid Lindblad, also spoke of the influence Marko had in his route to Formula 1, telling the sport’s official website in December that Marko kept the faith in him when others had faltered.

The teenager added: “There are certain things he wants to see, and I mean, I can’t talk for others and their experience, but I’ve always had a very good relationship with him, and he’s helped my career massively.

“The fact that he believed in me when others didn’t, I’m very grateful towards him, because this opportunity wouldn’t have come without him.”

That contact has kept going into this season, with the Briton having impressed in his early rounds in Formula 1 and getting his first points on the board with Racing Bulls.

Having revealed they spoke after the season-opener in Australia, Lindblad said in China: “Obviously, I have a very special relationship with Helmut.

“I’m very grateful for everything he’s done for me. He brought me onto the Red Bull programme when I was 13, he’s a massive reason why I’ve got this opportunity this year. So yeah, it’s sad for me not to have him in the paddock.”

Marko was often outspoken on Formula 1 as the seasons went by, and he has continued offering his opinions this season through Austrian and German media outlets.

Additional reporting by Mat Coch

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