"My goal is to win my third title this year with Max Verstappen" - Red Bull taskmaster Helmut Marko dismisses retirement rumours

Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko has said that he is not departing the Austrian team anytime soon and is focused on helping Max Verstappen win his third championship.

There have been several that the Austrian could leave his position in the team given his age and get replaced by former four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel. However, Marko has said that he has no such plans and will be in Baku to do his job.

Speaking to the Swiss newspaper Blick, he said:

"I can only say that on Wednesday I will be at the Red Bull meeting in Salzburg. There, neither my departure nor the sale of AlphaTauri is on the table. My advantage as the owner of several hotels is also my independence, but as I said, if he can accompany the best driver with Verstappen, resigning is not a problem.

He added:

"Talking about my retirement is a bit rushed; my goal is to win my third title this year with Max Verstappen. Sebastian and I keep in touch often. He is still in the self-discovery phase at the moment. I don't think he wants to travel again to all careers and work more with a much less salary than before."

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“I don’t see him being a Fernando Alonso and still racing at 41 or 42" - Red Bull team boss on Max Verstappen

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has said that he does not see Max Verstappen doing a Fernando Alonso and racing in his 40s. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said:

“Max is his own man, and he is very strong in his opinions and his outlook on what he wants to do with his life. I don’t see him being a Fernando Alonso and still racing at 41 or 42 years of age, or maybe not in Formula 1. But his love and passion are racing, and if he is not racing on the track at the moment, he is driving in the virtual world.

“He is driving GT cars for fun, and his passion is just driving and racing, and while that burns within him, he is going to keep going. But how long that burns for? It’s each individual’s own journey, (and) they’ve got to find that out for themselves.”

With Verstappen's contract expiring at the end of 2028, it will be interesting to see if he ends his career racing for just one team.