13 March 2024 , 07:00
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Helmut Marko says Max Verstappen is "relaxed" despite the ongoing drama within the Red Bull team - but warned "a door will open for him everywhere" if the Dutchman decides he has had enough.
Infighting became public last month when the Red Bull parent company announced an investigation into team principal Christian Horner. He was accused by a female colleague of inappropriate behaviour, but the grievance against him was later dismissed.
But that was not the end of it. From Verstappen's father Jos publicly calling for Horner's exit to Marko claiming he too was under investigation, only to later confirm he was staying after all, there has been plenty of evidence that not all is well behind the scenes.
"I do hope it will be resolved as soon as possible," the 80-year-old told De Telegraaf. "It hasn't been the most beautiful time, the past few weeks. At the end of the day, we are all here to help Max win and make sure he becomes perhaps the most successful driver of all time.
"What happens when Max is done with it? Then we will discuss that internally. But I'm sure a door will open for him everywhere. Max closes himself off from everything.
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"But I was most impressed by the fact that in the closing stages in Saudi Arabia he didn't even ask what the fastest lap was, trying to improve it. He just wanted to drive safely to the finish. That's how relaxed he is right now."
After Marko suggested his own days with Red Bull were numbered, he was pictured arriving in the Jeddah paddock with Red Bull corporate projects CEO Oliver Mintzlaff. That was after they had held talks over the adviser's future with the team and before the latter said he was happy with the team's leadership going forwards.
"A lot of things have been clarified today," said Marko. "Can I still work with Christian Horner? We've been doing that for 19 years, so why not? But there are still some issues to be resolved."
Marko has had many issues since the death of his great friend, former Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz in 2022 as the free reign he once had disappeared under new ownership. "I was already thinking about leaving at the end of last season," the Austrian admitted.
Of course, he decided to stay and added: "I think we should also think about team founder Dietrich Mateschitz and his legacy, what his ideas were and where it has taken us. We owe that to him, but I also see it as a kind of respect to an incredibly great personality."