Helmut Marko: Major update issued on Red Bull advisor’s future

Long-serving Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has signed a new three-year contract to continue working with the F1 Constructors’ Champions, PlanetF1.com understands.

Marko has been heavily involved in Red Bull’s F1 program since the energy drink arrived on the grid in 2005, discovering such talents as Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel over the course of almost two decades.

His long-term future with Red Bull had been considered uncertain following the death of founder Dietrich Mateschitz in October 2022.

Helmut Marko extends Red Bull contract

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

However, PlanetF1.com understands from a source close to the situation that Marko will remain involved for a further three years having agreed a three year extension with parent company Red Bull GmbH.

Speaking to Austrian outlet oe24 last month, Marko confirmed his future would be discussed over the winter with his previous deal due to expire at the conclusion of the 2024 season.

“There are different trends and variants,” he said. “The decisions are still open – including what I will do next. My current contract runs until the end of 2024.”

The 80-year-old also commented on how the landscape within Red Bull had altered since the death of Mr Mateschitz – and expressed regret that his late friend did not live to witness the team’s remarkable domination of the F1 2023 season, in which Red Bull won all but one of the 22 races.

He said: “It’s now an extended group of people, including Mark Mateschitz, the Thais, and Oliver Mintzlaff.

“The way we used to be able to decide things with Dietrich Mateschitz was unique. After this winning season, which put everything in the shade, I was incredibly sorry that he was no longer able to experience it.”

Rumours in recent months had claimed Marko was embroiled in a so-called ‘power struggle’ with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

In an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, however, Horner moved to dismiss the reports and spoke of his healthy relationship with Marko.

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He said: “Something like that you have to take with a great deal of humour because they’re so far wide of the mark.

“But, unfortunately, the world that we live in, somebody writes something on an obscure Brazilian website and by the time it is translated into four different languages it takes a traction of its own and, quite often, there’s absolutely nothing to these stories.

“I think we’ve been around long enough and ugly enough to know not to believe everything you read.

“Helmut and I have known each other for 27 years.

“We’ve always had a very strong and open relationship. So, on that, nothing has changed. The thing about the relationship is that you don’t have a relationship through the media.”

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