Helmut Marko: I will go to all 24 Grand Prix

In an interview with oe24, Helmut Marko said that despite his age, he plans to attend all 24 Grand Prix next year.

Q: Before Christmas you talked about an important meeting with the Red Bull bosses. Has your future become clearer?
Helmut Marko: Yes, in a positive sense. Everything is going according to plan.

Question: Does this mean that next year you will attend 24 Grand Prix in one season for the first time?
Helmut Marko: Yes, but I’m not afraid of it. If I said, ‘This is crazy what’s going to happen,’ it would be difficult. But I say to myself, “Australia is beautiful, I’m looking forward to going to Melbourne.” I will do my work at Red Bull Racing from 11am on Friday until Sunday evening.

Question: Will you keep in touch with Max Verstappen during the holidays?
Helmut Marko: Occasionally. Max is now in Brazil, he has had no contact from there. But after January 6 or 7, we will go back to work and start preparing for the February tests.

Q: How is Red Bull’s project to create its own power plant progressing?
Helmut Marko: 2026 is still a long way away, but everything is going according to plan.

Q: Will you consider staying with Honda engines if your own power plant proves uncompetitive?
Helmut Marko: No, our engine has to work. From 2026 we will race with our own engine. Until then, we want to get the maximum potential out of Honda. Honda is my deal and I will continue to take care of it.

Question: Does this mean you still have to fly to Japan between races?
Helmut Marko: No, now everything is organized in such a way that I don’t have to go there anymore. 24 races are enough for me, and one of them will still be held in Japan.

Q: What can you say about the racers? Do you need to find a successor for Sergio Perez?
Helmut Marko: As things stand now, he will fulfill his contract until the end of 2024, and then we will see.

Q: You said Liam Lawson will take on the role of chief pilot in 2025…
Helmut Marko: Yes, but before that he needs to do at least a few more races so that we can assess his real potential.

Question: Thanks to Max Verstappen you don’t have to worry about the title, do you? What would have to happen to miss it?
Helmut Marko: There won’t be another season like this year. We have to assume that our opponents will be in better shape in 2024.

Question: Ten years have passed since the Michael Schumacher incident in the French Alps. As an insider, do you know how he feels?
Helmut Marko: No. They don’t talk about this in the paddock, and I don’t ask about it, because they understand that the family wants to keep their private life secret.