Marco: At the moment Max wants to drive for Red Bull

In a new interview, Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko commented on the results of the Miami race, the likelihood that he would continue his career at Mercedes with Max Verstappen and denied his words about Adrian Newey’s transfer to Aston Martin.

Question: In the week before the Miami Grand Prix you warned that Max Verstappen would have a particularly difficult time…
Helmut Marko: Unfortunately I was right. We were too slow.

Question: Christian Horner said there wasn’t enough speed due to the damaged underside of the car. Is this explanation sufficient for you?
Helmut Marko: Max doesn’t think the damage was that serious. The fact is that we were slower than McLaren.

Question: Did the safety car help Lando Norris?
Helmut Marko: Precisely. Otherwise he would have to close the gap with Max [после пит-стопа]and overtaking in Miami is very difficult.

Question: Max Verstappen has never been as happy for the winner as he is for Lando. How can you explain this?
Helmut Marko: Max maintains a friendly relationship with Norris. They often fly to races together and participate in virtual races. It looks like Max can learn something from Norris during the party!

But now I’m afraid Lando will become a more dangerous opponent on the track. Because he no longer feels pressure.

Question: Can McLaren force you to fight for the title?
Helmut Marko: No, I’m not worried about it. Norris is more than 50 points behind. We are also preparing new products for Imola, which I expect a lot from. But the race in Miami showed that we need to focus on the sport.

Q: Are you hinting at turbulence within the team?
Helmut Marko: Like I said, we need to focus on sports.

Question: In Miami there was a lot of discussion about the conflict between Oliver Mintzlaff and Toto Wolff. What’s going on between them?
Helmut Marko:I do not wanna talk about it.

Question: Could the possible departure of Max Verstappen be a problem?
Helmut Marko: As long as we give him a car that can win, there won’t be any problems.

Question: Red Bull will probably have such a car next season, but what can you say about 2026, when the new regulations come into effect?
Helmut Marko: This will definitely be a turning point.

Question: In other words, aren’t you ruling out the possibility of Max considering options?
Helmut Marko:Again: Max wants to play for the team where he has the best chance of winning. At the moment that is Red Bull.

Question: A lot has changed with the departure of Adrian Newey. How true are the rumors that you could move to Mercedes together with Max Verstappen?
Helmut Marko: At this point this is not relevant at all.

Question: Do you talk to Max about the future?
Helmut Marko: Certainly.

Question: Did Adrian Newey’s departure come as a surprise to you?
Helmut Marko: No, his departure was clear for a long time.

Question: How much will Red Bull miss Newey?
Helmut Marko: Newey is a legend. He is the best designer in Formula 1 and he is the best at interpreting changes to the regulations. He made it much easier for the team to recruit young engineers, as they felt it was an honor to work with him.

On the other hand, we have a large team of experienced technical specialists led by Pierre Vache. But when problems arose, Newey was often the first to come up with a solution.

Question: Does this mean that without Newey it will be difficult to prepare for the new regulations?
Helmut Marko: Not difficult, but the most experienced person will no longer be with us. And I’m afraid our rivals will have it.

Question: Maybe Newey will retire?
Helmut Marko: No!

Q: Recently you said that Newey would join the “green” team, i.e. Aston Martin?
Helmut Marko: I was clearly misunderstood. I would choose red.

Question: So Ferrari. Are you worried that Adrian could build a championship car for Lewis Hamilton?
Helmut Marko: There are many myths associated with Newey, but I don’t think we will face a technical collapse with his departure. Now we have to concentrate on the title fight and calm down the team.