Jos Verstappen makes contact with Ralf Schumacher after ‘bulls**t’ claim

Ralf Schumacher has revealed that Jos Verstappen made contact with him after he claimed that Red Bull is missing the presence of Helmut Marko in F1 2026. 

Marko left parent company Red Bull GmbH at the end of last year having played a key role in the F1 team’s success over more than 20 years.

Ralf Schumacher: Jos Verstappen ‘more emotional at the moment’

Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust

The 82-year-old, who won the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours during his own racing career, was credited with identifying talent for Red Bull’s famed junior scheme.

Marko was known to be particularly close to Max Verstappen, the son of Jos and the most successful driver in Red Bull’s history with four world championships and 71 race wins to his name.

Verstappen’s contract was at one stage even believed to contain a clause allowing him to exit Red Bull if Marko left the company.

Go deeper: Max Verstappen’s frustration with the F1 2026 rules

The signs that Max Verstappen is closer than ever to quitting F1

‘Pretty terrible’ – The Max Verstappen F1 2026 warning that went ignored

As reported by PlanetF1.com earlier this month, Schumacher claimed that Red Bull is “missing Marko as a figure to give some kind of guidance” after a disappointing start to the F1 2026 season.

Verstappen Sr took a dim view of Schumacher’s comment, responding via social media: “Ralf talks a lot off [sic] bulls**t.”

Schumacher has revealed that the pair spoke in the aftermath of Verstappen Sr’s response, with the Dutchman making it “clear” that he holds an opposing view on the matter.

Appearing on Sky Germany’s Backstage Pit Lane podcast, Schumacher said: “We had contact.

“He was not rude at all, but made it clear that he thinks differently.

“Again: I like Jos Verstappen, I like Max Verstappen, so as far as that is concerned everything is fine.

“I think it is also a difficult time for them now, also for a father who is not used to, after all these years and all these successes, suddenly having to answer or explain things.”

Schumacher went on to claim that Verstappen Sr’s response was out of character for the 54-year-old.

Verstappen Sr was again active on social media earlier this week, claiming that GianPiero Lambiase is leaving Red Bull for McLaren “because they’re offering him a lot of money.”

Schumacher said of Verstappen Sr’s reaction to his comments: “That’s just not Jos.

“He is a bit more emotional at the moment, maybe a bit irritable or quicker to get hit.

“But that’s also part of it, he’s an emotional person. It doesn’t bother me.

“I was just a bit surprised because I always had the feeling that Max, Jos and Helmut Marko have a very close relationship.”

Speaking to PlanetF1.com and other media outlets at last month’s Australian Grand Prix, Verstappen revealed that he has remained in touch with Marko in 2026.

The Red Bull driver said: “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.

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

In a recent appearance on F1’s Beyond The Grid podcast, Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said Marko remains “very open and available to us” in 2026.

Additional reporting by Mat Coch

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!

Read next: Max Verstappen has a point about the latest F1 2026 rule changes