Former Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko explains the condition Red Bull must meet to bring back the driving pleasure in Formula 1 for Max Verstappen. ‘Then his mood will improve,’ predicts the Austrian, who however does not yet expect major changes in the pecking order for Miami. ‘Mercedes still has it far too well organized for that,’ says Marko.
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Max Verstappen openly sowed doubt about his Formula 1 future during the Grand Prix weekend in Japan. The Dutchman had already repeatedly criticized the 2026 cars, which he sees as ‘unworthy of F1’ and compares to the game ‘Mario Kart’, but in early April the announced departure of regular race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase was added. Team principal Laurent Mekies, however, believes that the latter will not influence Verstappen’s choice to stay with Red Bull or not.
‘Then driving pleasure will return for Max’
Helmut Marko, longtime advisor at Red Bull, is also now considering the situation around Verstappen. “Red Bull has discovered a number of problems with the car and found solutions. If the car is competitive again, Max’s pleasure will also return and his mood will improve,” predicts Marko to Kronen Zeitung. The former advisor seems to agree with Mekies on this.
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“Especially if one is already thinking about the regulations towards 2027,” Marko continues. Because it is clear not only for Max that there must be more real racing again than just saving the battery.” Although teams had five weeks before the Miami GP to further develop their cars, Marko does not expect the cards to be completely reshuffled. “Mercedes has it far too well organized: they have a great chassis and a strong engine. They have not shown everything yet and certainly still have a trump card up their sleeve. For me, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell remain the big favorites.”
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