F1 News: Helmut Marko REVEALS Mercedes move verdict after Wolff offer

Helmut Marko, Red Bull Racing, Bahrain, Testing, 2024, social — Photo: © IMAGO

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Marko REVEALS Mercedes move verdict after Wolff offer

The Austrian's future at Red Bull has been called into question

By Sam Cook.

Tuesday 12 March 2024 17:00

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has responded to an offer to join rivals Mercedes from team boss Toto Wolff.

The 80-year-old revealed during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend that he was set to have a meeting with Red Bull GmbH managing director Oliver Mintzlaff to discuss his future within the team, with plenty of doubt surrounding his next endeavours.

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While that meeting is understood to have taken place on the morning of race day in Jeddah with 'very good conversations', the situation is not fully clarified, with Max Verstappen giving his team an ultimatum surrounding Marko during the weekend.

Toto Wolff suggested that he would be open to taking both Verstappen and Marko at Mercedes, with the Brackley-based team in need of a driver in 2025, and potentially some fresh thinking after a poor start to the season.

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Marko's Red Bull future in doubt

"Well, I have to quote Lauda here: 'That’s complete nonsense,'" he told Sky Germany.

"I'm happy if I can use my phone to some extent. I have never seen the report or viewed any of these chats and have deliberately stayed out of it.

"He's [Oliver Mintzlaff] only been here since 4 pm, but I see it going up and down. He has had many discussions and he is also meeting with the second managing director of Red Bull in Dubai tomorrow to meet the Thai shareholder.

When talking about Wolff's offer, the 80-year-old said: "That's very nice, but at the moment I can gratefully decline this offer."

Max Verstappen Mercedes Toto Wolff Helmut Marko Saudi Arabian Grand Prix