Dr Helmut Marko has responded to wild rumors suggesting Aston Martin F1 will make a serious bid to land Max Verstappen.
Speculations have mentioned extreme sums of up to $1 billion and above.
“It’s all very beautiful,” Red Bull F1 advisor Marko told Sport Bild, “but Max has a contract with us until the end of 2028.”
It is also almost certain that certain clauses in the four-time world champion's current contract would allow him to escape to another team.
“I'm not making any statement about the contents of the contract but we are confident that we can give Max a good car.”
“Based on the data, our engineers are optimistic. And I also know how loyal and grateful Max is to Red Bull. That's why he will be a Red Bull driver in 2026 – and as a five-time world champion too, ” smiled the 81-year-old man.
A 5th title for Max in 2025! Nevertheless, the Austrian admits that Red Bull will face another tough challenge in 2025.
“McLaren and Ferrari both had the best foundations in 2024,” admits Mark.
The downside for these teams, he added, is that they don't have Verstappen behind the wheel.
-“Both teams can now build on their strong foundations as they performed well on most circuits last season. But neither of their drivers stood out for me.”
Marko highlighted Lando Norris's mental weaknesses last year and Oscar Piastri's lack of consistency. As for the Ferrari team in 2025, he said: “(Charles) Leclerc is good in qualifying, but he makes a lot of mistakes in the race.”
“And Lewis (Hamilton) still has the speed, but over a whole season? I have my doubts about that. Even if he has a good Ferrari and we only give Max a mediocre Red Bull, I would bet on Max.”
“And if Hamilton's debut at Ferrari doesn't go as he hoped, he should be careful not to fall into a downward spiral like he did at Mercedes.”
“No one can compete with Max. Not Lewis, not Norris. He gets 1-2 tenths of a second per lap that no other driver can get. Now it's up to us to build him a car that allows him to race for victories, not just sometimes but regularly.”
“Our working window must become wider.”
