Helmut Marko tells Isack Hadjar what he must do at Red Bull to make him ‘proud’

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Helmut Marko’s departure is bound to leave a significant hole at Red Bull during the 2026 Formula 1 season.

His 20 seasons’ worth of experience alone was a vital ingredient for their success, helping to curate talents such as Max Verstappen and his new teammate Isack Hadjar.

Marko has been with Red Bull since 2005, and at the age of 82, is unlikely to take up a new project, which would require a lot of energy and effort.

Heading into the 2026 F1 regulations, two of the young drivers he has helped to promote will be starting new jobs within Red Bull. It’ll be fascinating to see how each of them gets on.

Marko was blown away by Isack Hadjar and his pursuit of perfection throughout his rookie season, which was likened to Charles Leclerc.

Red Bull won’t replace Marko with Sebastian Vettel, who has been linked to the role before. It’s a sign that the championship might be in different times.

READ MORE: Key Red Bull figure now set to step up as Helmut Marko’s Formula 1 exit gets confirmed

Helmut Marko will be ‘proud’ of Isack Hadjar when he wins a Formula 1 race

Marko cost Red Bull ‘hundreds of thousands’ by deciding to sign Alex Dunne to their junior programme, without discussing it with the team.

In the end, Red Bull would overrule Marko, and it might have been the first sign that his powers aren’t what they used to be, since a new management was installed.

Since the start of 2024, the likes of Christian Horner, Adrian Newey, and now Marko have all left the team, signalling the end of an era.

The trifecta is no more – when will Red Bull next win a title?

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They were all around between 2005 and 2006, when the team first arrived on the grid, and are a big reason why they enjoyed so much championship success.

Now, reflecting on his latest recruits, Marko has revealed to Kleine Zeitung how he will only be proud of Hadjar and Arvid Lindblad when they win their first races.

“I’ll only be proud when they win a Grand Prix (laughs). But I’m really curious to see how they both do with their teams. They certainly have what it takes to win a race.”

READ MORE: Helmut Marko identifies clear moment where Red Bull may have cost Max Verstappen the 2025 F1 title

Has Helmut Marko decided to leave Red Bull at the right time?

Verstappen was a ‘little sad’ about Marko’s departure, having completed nearly 10 full seasons at Red Bull alongside him.

Now, the pressure is on the team more than ever to make a car and an engine that can be competitive over the next 12 months.

If they fail to do so, they risk losing Verstappen to the likes of Mercedes or Aston Martin for 2027, with the Dutchman holding an exit clause.

It’s almost impossible to think about who they might replace him with, considering that his talents are among the greatest ever seen. By all accounts, he is irreplaceable.