Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko is to hold talks this winter with the Formula 1 team to decide whether or not he continues in his role next season, amid growing indications he could be heading for retirement.
The veteran has been a part of Red Bull’s operation ever since it entered F1 in 2005, and he played a major role in the title successes that it achieved with Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.
But while the 82-year-old had previously shown no inclination for stepping back and no longer being involved at a senior level in F1, sources suggest that the situation has changed in recent weeks.
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With Marko having been a key player in the coup that happened this summer, which ousted former team principal Christian Horner, since then, the whole Red Bull operation is undergoing an organisational refresh under new team boss Laurent Mekies.
And sources suggest that as part of that, Red Bull and Marko could be edging towards a mutual decision for him to relinquish his involvement in the squad and completely step back from F1.
It's understood that Marko's role in Kimi Antonelli receiving more than 1000 abusive messages after Marko's public criticism of him at the Qatar GP is a contributing factor.
Speaking in the paddock at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday night, Marko insisted that nothing had been decided yet about what he would do. But he admitted that talks about things were being planned.
Asked if his future was in doubt, Marko said: “It's not in doubt, I will have a discussion and then I see what I do.”
“It's a complex [set] of different things. I have to sleep over it and then will we see.”
Mekies himself did not elaborate on what Red Bull’s thoughts were on Marko’s future with squad, but he did suggest that teams go through constant evolution and change.
“Helmut has been incredible in how supportive he has been into helping us turning around things this year,” explained Mekies.
“Obviously, him and top management had quite a few difficult decisions to make in the year, and of course, we always know F1 is not a static environment.
"You always adjust your organisations. It applies to technical, it applies to sporting and it's completely normal that we review how we can improve the way we operate all the time.
“I'm not saying that specifically for Helmut, but I'm saying that in general, we are in an environment where we always challenge each other and look for the next steps, no matter how small it is in trying to work together.
“But I can only thank Helmut for the role he has played into making fundamentally better what looked like a difficult situation mid-season.”
Red Bull is entering a new era next year where, as part of the rules revolution that is coming for 2026, the team will be entering as an engine manufacturer for the first time. The Red Bull engine will power both the Racing Bulls and Red Bull teams.
