Helmut Marko’s unseen reaction to Gianpiero Lambiase looking upset after the 2025 F1 finale

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Helmut Marko has departed Red Bull and it looks as though his time in Formula 1 has officially been served.

The Austrian advisor began working with Red Bull in 1999, when the junior team was founded, and that role became even more critical when they bought Jaguar and formed a Formula 1 team.

From 2005, he worked with the likes of Christian Horner and Adrian Newey the following year, to help set the team up for long-term success. Marko was the first and only man of his kind.

He helped to nurture the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, and Max Verstappen, and won multiple titles with the Milton Keynes-based outfit.

Verstappen was a ‘little sad’ to hear about Marko’s departure, as the two have held a close bond since his teenage years.

After evaluating their options, Red Bull won’t replace Marko with Vettel, who was linked with the role back in the summer.

READ MORE: Second Max Verstappen ally just told Red Bull he won’t attend any 2026 races amid Helmut Marko exit

Helmut Marko consoled an upset Gianpiero Lambiase after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Marko cost Red Bull ‘hundreds of thousands’ by making the decision to sign Alex Dunne to their junior programme, without consulting the team first.

In the end, Red Bull ‘overruled’ Marko and had to pay the Irishman a fair chunk of change. It might have been what tipped both sides over the edge.

Looking ahead to the 2026 F1 regulations, his influence on Red Bull’s line-up is clear. Isack Hadjar, alongside Verstappen and an 18-year-old Arvid Lindblad, at Racing Bulls.

Should Yuki Tsunoda really be thanking Helmut Marko?

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But that’s now what was on his mind after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where he was seen talking to an emotional Gianpiero Lambiase, Verstappen’s race engineer, after missing out on the world title.

“When GP was in tears on the pitwall, three days ago, who came and gave him an ‘It’s alright mate, it’s alright.’? It was Helmut,” Ted Kravitz told the Sky Sports F1 Podcast. “There’s something deep inside me that is sorry to see the old guy go.

“Something very small, and I will take it up, put it in a small bag, and throw it in the bin when we’ve finished this podcast, because I think his time has finished.”

READ MORE: F1 fans all say the same thing after seeing Yuki Tsunoda’s farewell message to Helmut Marko

What do Red Bull’s latest crop of drivers have to do to make Helmut Marko ‘proud’?

With the Formula 1 driver market set to be one of the craziest of all time next year, with many seeking new deals for 2027, Red Bull are in a solid position.

They have Verstappen under contract until 2028 (as long as they perform and exit deals aren’t brought into play).

And they have three seats that the world’s best will all be looking at. If Lindblad performs well, they might have a superstar in the making.

And they have plenty of solid drivers around him, ready to step up and lead both Red Bull and Racing Bulls into the future from 2026.

Hadjar will make Marko ‘proud’ when he wins a race, as well as Lindblad, but it might be a bit much to expect that to happen over the next 12 months.