Helmut Marko adds Red Bull F1 twist on Max Verstappen exit rumours

Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko has denied any suggestions that he would follow Max Verstappen out the door of the team.

Verstappen has been linked with an exit since early last season, when a number of key figures began to depart the team in a year of upheaval.

Legendary designer Adrian Newey left midway through the season, joining Aston Martin after a period of gardening leave to work on their 2026 for the incoming regulation changes.

2024 also saw Red Bull fail to win the constructors' championship for the first time since 2021 and, although Verstappen retained his drivers' championship, he appeared to have just the third fastest car by the end of the season.

Marko: Leaving Red Bull is out of the question

Speaking to oe24 about the rumours that his close relationship with Verstappen would see him also walk out if the Dutchman left, Marko said: “It would be absolutely out of the question for me. For me, F1 is Red Bull.”

Marko has also continued his attempts to put the cat among the pigeons at McLaren, insisting that Oscar Piastri has a better disposition than Lando Norris when it comes to on-track racing, saying: "But we know that, it's nothing new."

When asked why he thought McLaren didn't let Piastri past Norris to attack Verstappen last weekend when he appeared to be faster, he added: "That's a mystery to me too. But I don't know the so-called papaya rules."

Those 'papaya rules' are expected to cause some chaos throughout the season if McLaren continue to have the strongest car, with the team having to balance their attempts to win the constructors' championship with their wish to allow their drivers to race for the individual title fairly.

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