Red Bull owes their grip on the F1 title to Max Verstappen. Indeed, they have had the fastest car since 2022. But without the capable hands of the Dutchman, it would not have been possible for the Austrian outfit to regain their dominance. Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez managed to win four races in the last two years. On the other hand, Checo’s teammate won 34 Grands Prix over the last two seasons. Clearly, the Dutch driver has taken the grid by storm. From 2014 to 2021, the Austrian outfit had no chance to claim the constructor title. It was the turbo-hybrid era, better known as “The Mercedes Era.” Sir Lewis Hamilton was the most dominant racer during that period, winning six world championships.
However, in 2021, it was Max Verstappen who broke the title-winning streak of Lewis Hamilton. Since then, Max has not looked back. He has only gotten better. In 2022, Verstappen won 15 races, and later last year, he broke his own record to win an unbelievable 19 races. Clearly, he is too special for Red Bull to let him go. Hence, the Austrian outfit might do anything to keep Max happy until the end of his contract in 2028. They might even stop themselves from suspending Helmut Marko if that displeases the reigning three-time champion.
Helmut Marko Might Stay With Red Bull Since Max Verstappen Warned About Leaving
It was the Red Bull advisor that brought the Dutch sensation to the Austrian outfit. Max Verstappen on Friday told the F1 reporters that Helmut Marko was instrumental in bringing him to the sport. Hence, he will always be very loyal to the 80-year-old advisor. Moreover, it is also important that Marko stays part of the Austrian team as long as Verstappen drives the Red Bull car. Lately, the 80-year-old advisor of the Red Bull team was on the verge of suspension ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, as per motorsports.com.
But Helmut Marko, on Saturday, mentioned in an interview with Sky Germany that he had a meeting with the parent company, Red Bull GmbH, in Jeddah. Marko mentioned that he will continue his journey with the Austrian outfit. But most importantly, “There has to be calm,” says the 80-year-old advisor. All in all, Marko said that they had a pretty good conversation with the chief executive of corporate projects in the parent company, Oliver Mintzlaff. Moreover, Marko said he was grateful to Max for his loyalty.
Sergio Perez Was Clear About His Loyalties Too
Max Verstappen said he won’t be able to continue racing for Red Bull without Helmut Marko. But he spoke about Christian Horner and his father Jos Verstappen’s beef. Jos had said that Horner is the reason why Red Bull might tear itself apart. And Jos also mentioned, “It can’t go on like that.” Regarding his father’s statement, Max mentioned his father is not a liar. However, Max’s teammate Sergio Perez mentioned Horner is a “Massive leader and key member” of Red Bull.
Moreover, Checo mentioned that it was Horner who put it together to build this successful team. Finally, Checo talked about the team’s unity, saying, “Everybody in the team is really strong, and everyone’s backing Christian.” In the end, Checo said they just want to focus on their racing.
Stay tuned with Sports News International for more such updates about your favorite F1 team.