At the end of two decades at Red Bull, possibly the most divisive character in modern Formula 1 in Helmut Marko, can be credited with a huge role in the team’s success.
While Marko has grabbed headlines with sharp-edged comments, his influence surrounding the young driver programme at Red Bull can and should not be understated.
In his two decade spell in association with Red Bull, Marko has overseen the development of 20 drivers into F1, including the most successful in Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel.
With Vettel and Verstappen at the helm, Red Bull won eight Drivers’ titles and six Constructors’ Championships between 2010 and 2024, along with over 100 race victories.
Oliver Mintzlaff, Red Bull’s CEO of Corporate Projects and Investments, branded the outgoing Marko “an engine of innovation, and a cornerstone of international motorsport”.
“His instinct for exceptional talent not only shaped our junior program but also left a lasting impact on Formula 1 as a whole. Names like Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen stand for the many drivers who were discovered, supported, and guided to the very top under his leadership. His passion, his courage to make clear decisions, and his ability to spot potential will remain unforgettable.”
Aside from the title winners, Marko has also unearthed plenty more talented drivers who have had healthy stints in F1, with seven of the 20 drivers on the grid in 2025 having advanced through the Red Bull junior programme. And as F1 and Red Bull enter an exciting new era, Marko’s eye for talent could see the Red Bull family on the front foot in 2026.
Red Bull’s new era
Isack Hadjar, who steps up to the senior team for 2026, and Arvid Lindblad for Racing Bulls, will be the last two drivers to emerge from Red Bull’s talent pool under the control of Marko.
Hadjar’s exciting debut F1 season, which saw him become the youngest French driver to stand on the podium, alongside Lindblad’s promising Formula 2 campaign, sees Red Bull in a good position to enter F1’s new era in 2026.
Alongside a new engine partnership with the Ford Motor Company under the helm of new Team Principal Laurent Mekies, 2026 will be the first season for Red Bull without its cornerstone team members.
Marko marks the last figurehead of the original Red Bull F1 project to depart the Milton-Keynes squad and the end of a significant era of success for team.
After the departures of Johnathan Wheatley, Adrian Newey and most notably long time Team Principal Christian Horner it felt like a matter of time before Dr Marko would step away and allow Red Bull to enter its new evolution under the steady hand of Mekies.
While Marko has been a huge influence in Red Bull’s success in regards to his ability to spot talent early, his departure seems timely as the Red Bull brand looks to the future under a completely new leadership structure.
This alongside a list of controversies sees it unsurprising that Red Bull keen to enter its new era without such a divisive figure at the forefront of its future.
Not without controversies
After the death of Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz in 2022, someone with whom Marko had a close relationship, and significantly, the departure of Red Bull’s two-decade-long team boss Christian Horner midway through 2025, Marko’s position within the team has become increasingly untenable.
Away from his tremendous success regarding the young driver programme, Marko has had a tumultuous history of stirring the pot and saying the wrong things.
The Austrian has clashed with Red Bull’s new management style on multiple occasions since the team’s change in direction including derogatory statements made regarding then Red Bull driver Sergio Perez in late 2023.
Marko had blamed Perez’s fluctuations in form on the track on the Mexican driver’s ethnicity claiming ” he is South American and he is just not as completely focused in his head as Max is or as Sebastian.”
More comments aimed towards Andrea Kimi Antonelli after this season’s Qatar Grand Prix, where Marko claimed the Italian had “waved Norris past” on the penultimate lap in Doha, saw the Italian receive thousands of messages of abuse for an honest on-track mistake.
This alongside a failed attempt to oust Marko in early 2024 has soured the atmosphere within the Red Bull family and dampened spirits despite the team’s great successes and dominant recent seasons.
While F1 will remember Marko for his success in cultivating Red Bull’s driver talent, a string of controversies will always linger on a somewhat tarnished legacy.
READ MORE – Red Bull announces Helmut Marko to depart at end of 2025
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