Red Bulls sports boss Oliver Mintzlaff, together with top advisor Helmut Marko, arrived in the paddock in Jeddah on Saturday amid great interest.
In the run-up to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the pair had a long conversation in the Shangri-La hotel, right next to the circuit where the race will be held on Saturday evening.
Marko announced a day earlier that he may be suspended, according to insiders, partly because he is suspected of having leaked information. Mintzlaff did not want to say anything about that. “All I can say about that is that we had a good conversation.”
Marko provides clarification
Marko himself clarified the whole matter a little later: “A lot of things have been clarified today. Can I still work with Christian Horner? We've been doing that for nineteen years, so why not? But there are still some issues to be resolved.”
Marko now states that he does not expect to be suspended: “Stories have come out. But if someone has already had the idea to do that, there is no legal basis for it. Our goal is to win the fourth title with Max and to achieve that we all have to work together.”
“Contracts don't mean much in Formula 1”
Max Verstappen stated after qualifying that a (forced) departure of Marko could have a huge impact on his future at Red Bull and in that case he 'cannot continue'. A special clause in his contract ensures that he can leave if Marko retires. Mercedes is on the fence in that regard. Mintzlaff: “Max is a great driver and he has a contract with us. I'm here to cheer on the team.”
At the same time, Marko does not rule out a future switch to Mercedes. “That is not an issue at the moment. But fortunately they are not much further away in the paddock… I was very grateful for Max's words and how loyal he is, I was impressed by that. He indeed still has a contract until 2028, but Toto Wolff (Mercedes team boss, ed.) says that contracts do not mean much in Formula 1.”
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