Helmut Marko says F1 will just find a new ‘star’ if Max Verstappen walks away

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Helmut Marko believes F1 will be able to cope without Max Verstappen if the Red Bull driver decides to retire.

Verstappen said in March that he was considering his future in the sport over his dissatisfaction with the new regulations. He described the tweaks for the Miami GP as a step in the right direction, but still believes the new formula is fundamentally flawed.

F1 teams have already decided to modify the power split between the internal combustion engine and the battery for 2027 (from around 55/45 to 60/40). Verstappen is likely to welcome that change too, but he has said that the sport should scrap the electric motor entirely.

Will you be tuning into the Nurburgring 24 Hours this weekend?

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That definitely won’t happen before 2030, and even then there’s bound to be a degree of electrification.

Helmut Marko says Max Verstappen isn’t irreplaceable in F1

Verstappen is racing in the Nurburgring 24 Hours this weekend, by far his biggest GT3 event yet. Some think he could switch to another discipline full-time.

Former Red Bull advisor Marko told sport.de it would be a ‘great loss’ to F1 if that happened, but ultimately, the sport would find a new ‘star’.

Lando Norris became a world champion last year, while Verstappen’s generation also includes elite talents like Charles Leclerc and George Russell. Perhaps more importantly, 19-year-old championship leader Kimi Antonelli continues to break records at Mercedes.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem confirms V8s/V10s will return!

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“Max’s departure would certainly be a great loss, but that’s how it is in sports,” said Marko. “When someone leaves, a new one comes along and becomes the star. But it’s not just about whether Max likes it. It’s about racing.”

Red Bull are interested in Oscar Piastri, who fought for last year’s world championship at McLaren, in the event that Verstappen does leave.

‘I don’t know if we can return to pure racing’ – Helmut Marko on F1 rules

Marko is concerned that F1 won’t be able to achieve ‘pure racing’ with this generation of car, no matter how many alterations are made to the rules.

The FIA want to stop the ‘yo-yo’ overtakes that have characterised the early rounds of the season, even though some fans have found them entertaining.

“What has been initiated in the short term is far from sufficient to get the premier class back on track,” said Marko. “To what extent we can achieve a return to pure racing, I don’t know.”

Discussing F1’s rumoured return to V8 engines from 2030, Marko said: “The sooner it comes, the better.”