"Red Bull's influential auto racing adviser Helmut Marko is retiring from his role at the age of 82, ending a 20-year stint in which he helped Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen develop into four-time Formula One world champions. Marko's departure leaves Red Bull without the two main guiding personalities from its 2005 entry into F1 after the team principal Christian Horner was ousted in July and replaced by Laurent Mekies."
"Marko's blunt style and criticism of drivers sometimes led to controversy. In 2023, he apologised to then-Red Bull driver Sergio Perez for comments that suggested his Mexican heritage was to blame for inconsistent results on the track. On behalf of the wider Red Bull corporate group, Marko oversaw its driver development programme for two decades. He guided drivers such as Verstappen and Vettel through junior series to F1 debuts with Red Bull's second team, variously known over the years as Toro Rosso, AlphaTauri"
Helmut Marko is retiring at age 82 after a 20-year tenure as Red Bull's auto racing adviser, during which he helped Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen become multiple Formula One world champions. His departure follows Verstappen narrowly missing a fifth title at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and comes after team principal Christian Horner was ousted and replaced by Laurent Mekies. Marko said the near miss made it clear that now is the right moment for him to end a long, intense and successful chapter. Marko was an F1 driver in the early 1970s, was blinded in one eye by a rock, held influence in team politics, was close to co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz, drew controversy for blunt comments, apologised to Sergio Perez in 2023, and oversaw Red Bull's driver development programme that promoted drivers through Toro Rosso/AlphaTauri to F1.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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