Helmut Marko isn’t softening with age. The Red Bull kingmaker remains unapologetic about the churn that’s defined his driver programme, insisting Formula 1 demands more than raw speed and that his calls have largely been vindicated.
Red Bull’s unique two-team footprint gives Marko a wider chessboard than anyone else. Racing Bulls is the proving ground; Red Bull Racing is the endgame. Max Verstappen has been the fixed point since 2016. Around him, the cast has changed often — Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda have all shared garage space with the triple World Champion at one stage or another, some for longer than others. Lawson, notably, had a brief two-race run at the senior team this season before being sent back to Racing Bulls.
The junior squad’s turnover has always been brisk. Sébastien Buemi, Jaime Alguersuari, Jean-Éric Vergne, Daniil Kvyat, Brendon Hartley — none are in F1 now, but nearly all forged high-profile careers elsewhere. That, Marko says, is the point.
“Actually, I stand by the decisions,” he told F1-Insider. “Over 95 percent of the drivers who did not remain in our cadre then go on to race in Formula E, WEC, DTM or elsewhere. They earn good money — far more than they probably could in a civilian profession — and they do what they love. And that was mainly made possible through our involvement. Formula 1 is the pinnacle, and it requires not only talent but also special characteristics and a certain strength, both mentally and in overall constitution.”
Ask him about regrets and you won’t get many. There is, however, a sliding-doors moment he’s willing to entertain: Nico Hülkenberg versus Sergio Perez for the 2021 Red Bull seat. Perez’s 2020 Sakhir win swung the decision his way, but Marko admits the alternative would’ve been compelling.
“At that time he [Hülkenberg] was, I think, a co-commentator at Servus TV, so there was already a relationship there, and there were the beginnings of talks,” Marko recalled. “But then Perez won that race in Bahrain and because of that everything turned in Perez’s direction. I think it would have been a really nice time, because the two get along very well, and yes, Hülkenberg is a safe bank for points, and in our car it would also have been top positions.”
Where the dominoes fall next is the ongoing Red Bull intrigue. Perez has been tipped for a Cadillac-led return to the grid, Hülkenberg continues with Sauber as it transitions to Audi, and talk around Verstappen’s 2026 teammate circles Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar.
Marko’s bottom line hasn’t changed: the bar at Red Bull stays high. The machine is ruthless by design — and “special” remains the admission price.
