Max Verstappen no longer needs Red Bull F1 boss

Red Bull

Max Verstappen no longer needs Red Bull F1 boss

Helmut Marko and Max Verstappen shared a close relationship

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 7 January 2026 09:54

Recently retired Red Bull F1 chief Helmut Marko has said that Max Verstappen no longer needs a guiding hand in F1.

Marko retired from his position as motorsport advisor at the end of the 2025 season, and revealed the 'emotional' phone call between he and Verstappen to let the Dutchman know he was leaving.

Verstappen and Marko shared a close relationship, with the four-time world champion being just one of the many young drivers that Marko oversaw from their karting days up to F1.

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Marko was so crucial to Verstappen in years gone by that when Marko was rumoured to be being axed by the team in early 2024, Verstappen issued a staunch warning that he would look to leave the team too if Marko was axed.

However, now things seem to have settled down a little, and Marko has said that Verstappen no longer needs him in F1, as he's an experienced racer who has proven that no matter the shape of the Red Bull team, he can still perform.

Marko is one of several key Red Bull figures that have left the team in recent years, including Christian Horner, Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley.

"Max has become such a personality now that he no longer needs advice - he's more like a team leader," Marko told F1-Insider.

"He has developed to the point where he no longer needs guidance."

Can Red Bull keep hold of Verstappen?

Questions about Verstappen's long-term future will surely only intensify as the 2026 season progresses, with a number of teams not having tied their drivers down beyond the end of 2026.

Red Bull are now in a new era, with only their second-ever team principal stepping up to the role in Laurent Mekies, following the brutal axing of Christian Horner last July.

On top of this, Red Bull are producing their own power units from this season onwards, after their highly successful partnership with Honda came to an end in 2025.

If the 'new' Red Bull are unable to provide Verstappen with a championship-contending car in 2026, then he could well look around for the 2027 season, using 2026 as a scouting year to see which teams have mastered the new regulations.

Time will tell as to whether Red Bull and Mekies can convince him to stay during the team's rebuilding phase.

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Helmut Marko