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Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko has declined Mercedes boss Toto Wolff's offer to switch bases should his tenure end with the Austrian squad. The entire saga that began with an internal investigation has taken too many twists and turns.
The latest was after the F1 Saudi Arabian GP qualifying, where rumors surfaced that Helmut Marko might be suspended from Red Bull. The Austrian was suspected to have been party to the media leaks that have plagued the team.
When it was reported that Marko could be suspended from Red Bull, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff offered an olive branch to the Austrian and invited him to join the German squad. However, with things getting back to normal at the Austrian team, Marko has clarified that his seat is not in danger.
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He was also questioned on his views about Toto Wolff's invitation to join Mercedes. Marko declined the offer and told F1Insider:
“That’s very nice, but at the moment I can gratefully decline this offer.”
According to rumors, the reason behind Helmut Marko's suspension was said to be his involvement in media leaks. Dismissing any involvement whatsoever, Marko clarified:
“The fact that I should have leaked the news to the outside world is nonsense. I'm really happy when I can use my cell phone to some extent. I consciously stayed out of it. That’s absurd.”
Red Bull team principal not particularly popular according to Ralf Schumacher
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher weighed in on the situation at Red Bull, saying that he felt that things were still not fine at the Austrian team. The German felt that it was certainly a positive that there was an effort to ensure calm. He did, however, point his finger at Christian Horner for not dealing with the situation transparently.
He said:
“I think that first of all, it is good and important that the bosses are here on site and ensure calm. But I don’t think it’s over because Horner isn’t dealing with the situation transparently. Attacks are coming from all sides, which shows me that he is not particularly popular.”
It will be interesting to see what's in store for the Austrian team as the saga continues to unravel. None of this has, however, impacted Red Bull yet in terms of performance, but it will be interesting to see if that happens as the season progresses.
