How, for Verstappen, Marko's departure at Red Bull went from no-go to a must

Forever grateful. After all, it was the same Helmut Marko who gave the young Max Verstappen a chance in Formula One when he was only 16, thus spearheading a brilliant career in the sport. But that was then and now is a different world for Verstappen. In the interests of Red Bull Racing, it has become a must that both team principal Christian Horner and also Marko leave, GPblog has learned.

That things are unsettled within the Red Bull team would be putting it rather mildly. While the sporting problems have continued to pile up for a year, last week there was the decision, with Max Verstappen not sharing the same opinion, to replace Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda with immediate effect. A decision finally made by Horner and Marko.

This pair have been at the centre of a huge storm for over 12 months, which led, among other things, to Adrian Newey's decision to leave Red Bull. Marko, too, had almost left the Austrian team which, thanks in part to the Austrian himself, became one of the most successful in F1 ever. But the public power struggle between Marko and Horner in 2024 was eventually smothered by Verstappen, who said: 'If Marko leaves, I do too'.

Surprised by Marko's actions

Marko is extremely well-respected in the Verstappen camp to this day. That said, thanks to partly the Austrian's decisions, to the amazement of the F1 world, the team are sinking further and further into mediocrity, with Verstappen's chance to defend his title for the fifth year on the trot shrinking week by week as well.

Last week, for instance, Verstappen reacted to Lawson's dismissal. Marko's absence at the technical meeting at the factory in Milton Keynes last week also raised eyebrows. Indeed Marko does not have a role that concerns the car's engineering and design, but at such an important meeting about the future of the team, surely the 81-year-old advisor was supposed to be there?

Marko gone, Horner gone?

Whereas Verstappen would have left the team if Marko had been sent away a year ago, that is by no means the case at the moment. Indeed, as GPblog learned from a source very close to the fire, a farewell to Marko is even a must to help Red Bull rescue from the ensuing chaos. Incidentally, for Red Bull's sake, not only Marko would have to go, but Horner as well. At an event where the shareholder in Thailand would decide one should leave, there would be a clear preference for saying goodbye to the team principal.

Of course, the big question is whether Marko and/or Horner will make their own decision to leave for the better of the team. A speedy decision would be essential, as Max Verstappen also has to make a decision on what's next for him in the foreseeable future. If Marko and Horner are still in position by then, it is reasonable to predict which route will Verstappen follow.