Dr Helmut Marko: “I only realised that in hindsight”

The Formula 1 World Championship is set to arrive at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Styria, this coming weekend with the entire entourage in tow. There, the host team, Red Bull Racing, spearheaded by Max Verstappen, will compete for the first time since the team’s inception without motorsport adviser Helmut Marko (83). The former Le Mans winner retired at the end of the 2025 season; he now works as a hotelier, amongst other things, and continues to keep a close eye on his former circle.

“I’m now just a normal TV viewer like everyone else. I’ve also decided not to keep receiving all the data any longer,” Marko reveals to the Kleine Zeitung. “On the whole, the races are quite good, despite the complicated engine regulations involving energy recovery. But for the sport, it’s obviously a real long shot when someone like Lewis Hamilton wins in a Ferrari.”

Does Marko miss Formula 1 again already? “No – I’ve always said that when I stop, I really do stop. I enjoy watching the races on TV; you get to follow everything in great detail. It’s only in hindsight that I’ve realised just how exhausting all the travelling was. You don’t even notice it when you’re fully immersed in it.”

Speaking of Red Bull Racing newcomer Isack Hadjar from France, Marko says: “He comes from this new generation of go-kart drivers and always had a lot of bad luck in the junior series; in Formula 2, for example, he was the fastest. Then there’s also Arvid Lindblad, who, at 18, is completely seasoned and mature.”

The Styrian goes on to note: “The situation is problematic in that it all costs an insane amount of money. The hub for this highly professional go-karting sport is northern Italy. There are parents who move there to live and be able to train with their child. But you have to pay up to 250,000 euros per season just to have a team.”

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Does Marko see any opportunities in this environment for an Austrian Formula 1 hopeful? “Someone like Johan Berger, the son of Gerhard Berger, and Jack Wolff, of course. They have their fathers’ full support and have connections. For a mere mortal, none of this is affordable any longer. It’s certainly going to get harder and harder if you don’t have the financial backing.”