Red Bull team left with 'void' after Helmut Marko exit

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has shared his thoughts on Helmut Marko's decision to leave Red Bull after two decades with the Milton Keynes-based squad.

The Austrian has been a key figure of the six-time F1 constructors' champions, and has helped bring 17 drivers into F1 over that period of time — Arvid Lindblad will be number 18 — as the head of its junior programme and later as a motorsport adviser.

Mekies described his resignation as leaving a "void" at the team, giving his thanks for the instrumental role Marko played in bringing him to Racing Bulls and then the top team after the firing of Christian Horner in July.

"It is very sad news that Helmut is leaving us," the 48-year-old said. "He has been such an integral part of our Team and of Red Bull’s entire motor racing programme for more than two decades.

"This is therefore the end of a remarkably successful chapter. His departure will leave a void, and we will truly miss him.

"I would like to express my sincere gratitude for his unwavering support, not only over the past months, but also during my early days at Scuderia Toro Rosso.

"On a personal note, Helmut, along with Oliver Mintzlaft, was the driving force behind bringing me back into the Red Bull family, first in Faenza and then this summer in my current role in Milton Keynes."

Marko raced in F1 in the early 1970s and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a driver, too.

However, his position at Red Bull has been under scrutiny at times over the past couple of years, including recently amid reports he unilaterally signed Lindblad to a 2026 race seat and also Alex Dunne to the academy. The latter is speculated to have been a costly move to unwind.

Nonetheless, Mekies was keen to show his appreciation for the key role Marko has played in helping establish Red Bull as one of the leading teams in F1.

The Frenchman concluded: "Helmut is a real racer at heart, always pushing us to the limit, always prepared to take risks in pursuit of our goals."