Helmut Marko confirms F1 return after securing new role

Helmut Marko

Helmut Marko confirms F1 return after securing new role

Helmut Marko left Red Bull at the end of 2025

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Tuesday 28 April 2026 09:02 Updated: 09:08

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Former Red Bull F1 legend Helmut Marko has clarified what his new role in the sport entails, confirming that it will see him make a return to the F1 circus in 2026.

Marko worked as a motorsport advisor for Red Bull between 2005 and 2025, before retiring from the position at the end of last season.

It was initially thought that this would be the last we would see from the 83-year-old in the sport, but he surprised fans last month by announcing that he had picked up a new role.

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Marko is now the ambassador for the Red Bull Ring in Austria, home of the F1 Austrian Grand Prix and the Austrian round of MotoGP.

Now, the Red Bull icon has revealed exactly what that new position involves, confirming that he will be present in June for the 2026 F1 Austrian GP.

"I hope I can help to boost interest - particularly in the MotoGP race at the Red Bull Ring," he told OE24. "I’m a big fan of MotoGP.

"I’ll also be at the Red Bull Ring Classics in Spielberg in May and, of course, at the Formula 1 race at the end of June," he said.

Helmut Marko's Red Bull legacy

Marko's old role at Red Bull placed him alongside former team principal Christian Horner as the Milton Keynes-based outfit entered into its first season in the sport.

Marko's job was to recruit young driver talent, with Red Bull's sister team then helping to blood that talent in F1 before they became ready to race for the main team.

The Austrian legend's biggest success stories included overseeing four-time world champions Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen's development into world class athletes, as well as eight-time grand prix winner Daniel Ricciardo.

More recently, Marko has seen the likes of Yuki Tsunoda, Isack Hadjar and Arvid Lindblad all make a name for themselves in F1.

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F1 Red Bull Helmut Marko Austrian Grand Prix