Helmut Marko refrains from getting involved in Oliver Mintzlaff’s dispute with Toto Wolff following the Red Bull CEO’s advice to the Mercedes chief to concentrate on his “own problems” and refrain from meddling in other teams’ affairs.
Wolff has been vocal about his desire for Red Bull’s triple World Champion, Max Verstappen, to potentially take over Lewis Hamilton’s seat, which will soon be vacant, either next season or by 2026 at the latest.
Despite Verstappen being under contract with Red Bull until the end of the 2028 season, Wolff believes there are “factors” that could sway the Dutchman to switch teams.
This public pursuit of Verstappen by Wolff has irked Red Bull CEO Mintzlaff, who labeled it as disrespectful. Mintzlaff expressed to Germany’s Bild, “I think Wolff should focus on his own problems.
“He has enough of those. And it also has something to do with respect when you keep talking about other teams’ personnel. That’s not appropriate.”
In response to Mintzlaff’s remarks, Wolff retorted, “I don’t know what the guy is commented on. There’s no relevance to me.” However, he reiterated his desire to see Verstappen join Mercedes by stating, “I think we want to take our time, see where Max’s thinking goes and at the same time monitor the other drivers.”
Marko, known for seizing opportunities to take shots at Wolff, surprisingly opted to stay out of the recent exchange.
“I don’t want to say anything about that,” he remarked to OE24 when questioned about the ‘Mintzlaff-Wolff hiccup’.
When pressed further about Wolff’s reaction to the Red Bull CEO, Marko replied, “Boom… I was already on my way to the plane.”
However, with Wolff persisting in his pursuit of Verstappen, the question arises: will Verstappen indeed remain at Red Bull as Mintzlaff asserts is “1,000 per cent” certain?
“As long as you give him a car capable of winning, you can assume that,” Marko stated. “Once again: Max wants to drive where he has the best chance of winning, and that is currently Red Bull.”
Concerning the outlook for 2026, with the introduction of entirely new engines and cars, Marko acknowledged, “That’s definitely a turning point.”
