Helmut Marko takes aim at Red Bull over 'full of nonsense' exit reason

Helmut Marko has labelled the Red Bull press release confirming his departure "full of nonsense", claiming Max Verstappen winning a fifth consecutive F1 drivers' championship would not have reshaped his decision to walk away.

The Austrian's retirement from the Milton Keynes-based team was announced earlier in the week, in the days following the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

In over 20 years as motorsport adviser and head of the six-time F1 constructors' champions junior programme, Marko helped shepherd 18 drivers — including Arvid Lindblad — into the series, having been at the team from the start.

However, he has become a polarising figure in the paddock, and his choice to walk away on his own terms comes soon after he inadvertently contributed to the social media pile-on Kimi Antonelli endured after the Qatar Grand Prix, when Marko suggested he had let Lando Norris through on the penultimate lap.

Speaking to De Limburger, he explained that his decision "started to take shape" over the weekend at Lusail International Circuit.

When it was put to him that, to a lot of people, his exit had come out of the blue, the 82-year-old replied. "Certainly.

"I hadn’t been thinking about it myself for that long either. The idea of stopping started to take shape for me in Qatar.

"I’m not much of a doubter; I’m quite decisive. On the Thursday before the final race in Abu Dhabi, I decided for myself that this would be my last weekend."

Marko: 'A lot has changed at the team in a short period of time'

On the Tuesday after the finale at the Yas Marina Circuit, Red Bull put out a press release confirming what was already heavily speculated.

In that press release, Marko is quoted as saying: "Narrowly missing out on the world championship this season has moved me deeply and made it clear to me that now is the right moment for me personally to end this very long, intense, and successful chapter."

But he has since suggested that it may not be entirely the case. "I don’t want to go into too much detail, but I didn’t read that press release full of nonsense," he said.

"Let’s just say that a lot has changed at the team in a short period of time. You think you know people well, but in the end that turns out not to be the case…

"No, I really won’t say more. And that fifth title wouldn’t have changed anything anyway. It was my ultimate dream to win five in a row with [Max] Verstappen, the best driver we’ve ever had. But it wasn’t meant to be, even though I still had good hopes before the final race."