Did Max Verstappen ‘save’ Marko? Fresh insight emerges into Red Bull saga

Max Verstappen and Helmut Marko at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Though Red Bull’s Max Verstappen ultimately secured his fourth consecutive World Drivers’ Championship title in 2024, the season started out with a slew of question marks about the future of the team and its key personnel, including men like Helmut Marko.
Marko, who serves as an advisor for the Milton-Keynes-based team, reportedly looked set to lose his role during the initial stages of the year. It turns out that Max Verstappen very well may have saved him.
Red Bull’s no-good, very bad start to 2024
The strong foundation of reigning champions Red Bull Racing looked set to crumble before the 2024 season had even got underway.
Before the season, team principal Christian Horner was accused of inappropriate behavior by a former employee. Though Horner was ultimately cleared of wrongdoing, the drama surrounding the investigation rippled into the rest of the team and soon swept up Jos Verstappen, Helmut Marko, and Adrian Newey.
Legendary designer Newey perhaps saw the saga as an appropriate time to step back from his role as the team’s designer following the death of Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz and increasing tension between Newey and other members of the Red Bull outfit.
Jos Verstappen, father of Max, spoke out about the “danger” of allowing Horner to continue as team boss during the Bahrain Grand Prix, kicking off yet another round of speculation about in-fighting within the team.
Also on the chopping block was Helmut Marko, who was investigated for leaking information; in the process came word that star driver Max Verstappen’s contract featured a clause that could allow him to leave Red Bull should Marko be fired from the team.
But did Verstappen save Marko?
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Marko addressed this very concern in a Qatar Grand Prix interview with?De Telegraaf.
“I’ve known the Verstappens for quite some time now. And the Verstappens are special, that’s clear,” Marko said.
“And one thing is for sure: they are loyal. You can count on them.”
Marko was referring to a particular statement from Max Verstappen during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where he asserted that there would be no future for him at Red Bull Racing without Helmut Marko.
“For me, of course, those words from Max were very nice,” Marko said.
“He is one of the greatest sportsmen in the world, earns a lot of money, but above all he sticks to his principles. That hasn’t changed since he was fourteen years old.”
“Did Max save me then? Well, there were more things that played a role then,” said Marko.
There you have it: Verstappen’s support was critical, but it was only one piece of the puzzle.
Whatever the full story, Marko’s contract was adjusted this year to remove that clause allowing Verstappen to leave the team should Marko depart. Per De Telegraaf, Marko agreed to the changes “to lay a foundation for a successful company for the near future.”
Read next: Max Verstappen v. The World: How the Red Bull driver stacks up against his teammates