Helmut Marko said it was the right time "to end this very long, intense, and successful chapter" with Red Bull Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko will leave the team after 20 years at the end of 2025. The 82-year-old has been an integral part of Red Bull's success since the team formed in 2005, as they won six constructors' championships and eight drivers' titles. Marko, who was the right-hand man of the late Red Bull co-owner Dietrich Mateschitz, has overseen the development of 20 drivers, most notably world champions Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, with whom the Austrian has a close relationship. In a statement, Marko said: "I have been involved in motorsport for six decades now, and the past 20-plus years at Red Bull have been an extraordinary and extremely successful journey." 'I'm too driven... I never settle for not good enough' - Verstappen in-depth on title race A statement from Red Bull said Marko, a former F1 driver and Le Mans winner, had "decided to step down at the end of 2025". Marko added: "I have been involved in motorsport for six decades now, and the past 20-plus years at Red Bull have been an extraordinary and extremely successful journey. "It has been a wonderful time that I have been able to help shape and share with so many talented people. Everything we have built and achieved together fills me with pride. "Narrowly missing out on the world championship this season has moved me deeply and made it clear to me that now is the right moment for me personally to end this very long, intense, and successful chapter." Oliver Mintzlaff, who is in overall charge of Red Bull's F1 programme in his role as chief executive officer of corporate projects and investments, said the decision came after "a long and intense conversation". He added: "Helmut approached me with the wish to end his role as motorsport adviser at the end of the year. I deeply regret his decision, as he has been an influential figure for more than two decades, and his departure marks the end of an extraordinary era." 'That's life' - Verstappen and Piastri react to missing out on F1 title Mintzlaff added: "Over more than 20 years, Helmut has earned incomparable merits for our team and the entire Red Bull motorsport family. He played a decisive role in all key strategic decisions that made Red Bull Racing what it is today: a multiple world champion, an engine of innovation, and a cornerstone of international motorsport. "His instinct for exceptional talent not only shaped our junior programme but also left a lasting impact on Formula 1 as a whole. "Names like Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen stand for the many drivers who were discovered, supported, and guided to the very top under his leadership. "His passion, his courage to make clear decisions, and his ability to spot potential will remain unforgettable." Verstappen has spoken to Marko and, although he is emotional about the move, has accepted it is time for his ally to move on, according to insiders. At the beginning of 2024, Verstappen was instrumental in ensuring Marko kept his role in the team in the midst of a power struggle with former team principal Christian Horner. Marko's decision is said to have been influenced by the fact he realised he no longer had the control he once had, following the changes that have been made in the wake of Horner's sacking in July. One flashpoint late in 2025, according to sources close to Red Bull, has been that Marko signed Irish racing driver Alex Dunne to the Red Bull programme against the wishes of Mintzlaff and team principal Laurent Mekies. Dunne has had to be paid off and is currently looking for another way into F1 after his ties with McLaren were severed earlier this year. Marko was also at the centre of a number of controversies. These included blaming former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez's inconsistent form in 2023 on his ethnicity, remarks for which he later apologised. Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen both won four drivers' titles in a row for Red Bull
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Red Bull adviser Marko to leave team after 20 years
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