Max Verstappen ‘wasn’t convinced’ by one of Helmut Marko’s Red Bull driver decisions this year

Follow us on Google Discover

The 2026 Formula 1 season will be the first time that Max Verstappen goes into a campaign with Red Bull without Helmut Marko by his side.

Helmut Marko deserves immense credit for discovering Max Verstappen as a youngster and convincing him to join the Red Bull set-up when he had plenty of other options available.

Verstappen could have joined Mercedes, and team principal Toto Wolff is constantly keeping a close eye on his progress and contract situation.

Fill in the gap: Max Verstappen will finish his F1 career with _____ titles

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

However, Marko decided to step away from Red Bull at the end of the 2025 campaign when Verstappen missed out on winning a fifth consecutive drivers’ championship.

It has since emerged that some of the decisions made by Marko behind the scenes weren’t approved by everyone within the team.

Marko signed Alex Dunne without Red Bull’s permission, and it appears to have been a decision that Verstappen didn’t agree with either.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Max Verstappen ‘wasn’t convinced’ by Helmut Marko signing Alex Dunne for Red Bull

A report from the German outlet Bild has shared more details about Marko’s exit.

The decision to sign Alex Dunne from McLaren’s academy didn’t go down well within the team.

Dunne showed glimpses of excellence during his maiden Formula 2 season and was in contention to win the title for some time.

The Irishman attracted a lot of attention for an ill-judged move at Monaco that caused a huge pile-up, but his raw pace always looked exciting.

The report from Bild suggests that Verstappen and Red Bull ‘reacted with displeasure’ to hearing Marko had signed the 20-year-old.

Change our minds: Red Bull will miss Helmut Marko more than Christian Horner next season

Let us know why in the comments below!

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

Verstappen ‘wasn’t convinced of the Irishman’s abilities’, and it’s believed that Red Bull did not approve of Marko making this call without their permission.

Red Bull ended up paying off Dunne’s contract for a fee of around £527,000 [€600,000] without the former McLaren man ever appearing publicly in any Red Bull clothing, let alone driving one of their cars.

This led to Red Bull ‘revoking’ Marko’s ability to sign drivers, which was one of his most crucial roles within the team.

It’s believed that Marko was ‘so annoyed that he barely participated’ in the meeting that decided Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson’s F1 fates after the Qatar Grand Prix.

READ MORE: Who is ex-McLaren junior driver Alex Dunne? Everything you need to know

Max Verstappen previously spoke out about Liam Lawson driver decision

It’s not the first time that Verstappen has disagreed with a move that Red Bull have made with their drivers this year.

Verstappen blamed the car rather than Lawson for his tough start at Red Bull at the beginning of the year, but that didn’t stop Christian Horner dropping the New Zealander two races into his spell with the team.

It’s an interesting stance that Red Bull have taken on Dunne, considering their current crop of youngsters.

There was very little to choose between Dunne and Arvid Lindblad, who will partner Lawson at Racing Bulls next year.

On top of this, Pepe Marti has now moved to Formula E, and Oliver Goethe has never been convincing at F2 level.

They will have high hopes for Nikola Tsolov as he steps up from Formula 3, but if he’s convincingly beaten by Dunne, then Marko will likely be watching on from his office in Austria with a knowing smile that he was making the right decision for Red Bull’s future.