The three-time world champion dominates on the track with a certain naturalness and has just won the second Pole in the only two qualifying sessions held in 2024. His, however, is an apparent calm which does not reflect the climate experienced in the garage Red Bull, fragmented by the power struggle between Christian Horner, Jos Verstappen and Helmut Marko. The latest rumors about Helmut's departure have also shaken Max, who now seems ever closer to saying goodbye. “What if Helmut Marko were to leave? He wouldn't be one madness, but worse". These are Max's words Verstappen at the end of the pole position won in the Saudi Arabian GP in Jeddah.
The spotlights, this time, are focused on the figure of Helmut Marko. In fact, yesterday, during the qualifications, the Red Bull advisor spoke about how the one in Jeddah could be his last weekend at Red Bull. The team, in fact, seems to have asked him to resign and, nowadays, this hypothesis seems to be gaining more and more traction. The chances, in fact, that Marko will remain in his place for the Australian Grand Prix (the next round) are really low and certify a Red Bull chaos that was unimaginable only four months ago.
Verstappen harsh: “Killing Marko would be madness”
With Marko's possible farewell, which seems to be increasingly confirmed, there is certainly no shortage of questions about Verstappen's possible future. The Dutchman has already explained to Sky what it would mean to lose a figure like that of Marko, who has always been the first to allow Max to arrive in Formula 1, and then let him dominate the various seasons. “Helmut is a key figure for us. To tell the truth - Verstappen explained – I think it's essential that he stays in place, otherwise the problem would be big for me and for the whole team. It must stay, otherwise we will be faced with a big problem".
Horner the real winner
And who knows, maybe these repercussions could also happen on the figure of Max Verstappen, with the hypothesis of a farewell from Red Bull which could really come true. From this aspect, therefore, if Marko and (hypothetically) Verstappen were to leave, the position of would be strengthened even more Horner who, from this situation, would undoubtedly emerge victorious.
Verstappen close to leaving Red Bull? Meanwhile, Wolff also winks at Marko
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is watching the situation with particular attention. It's no secret that Wolff left a door open to the possible arrival of Verstappen. Furthermore, already yesterday, Wolff also hypothesized the arrival of Marko who, inevitably, would fit perfectly with that of Verstappen. “We really miss Lauda a lot. In his place, if you want – explained Wolff, as reported by Motorsport.com – we could get Marko who is old enough to replace him. Today he is obviously our favorite opponent, but it is obvious that if Red Bull were to let him go we will be talking about a big loss for the whole team."
