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Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko is reportedly on his way out of the Milton Keynes-based team and will take retirement at the end of the calendar year. Amid this, reports of Marko signing Alex Dunne with the green light from the senior management came out, with the latest suggesting that the Irish driver is now in talks with Alpine. Fans came out and reacted to the mismanagement of Dunne’s career.
Helmut Marko has been with Red Bull since the inception of the team when Jaguar was overhauled by the energy drinks company ahead of the 2005 season. The Austrian had looked after the Junior driver program for over two decades and signed drivers like Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.
Former McLaren junior driver Alex Dunne parted ways with the Woking-based squad earlier this year. Sooner rather than later, Marko showcased his interest in the Irish driver as he hailed Dunne. Despite the negotiations reaching advanced stages, the final outcome wasn't announced by Red Bull.
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It was recently reported that Helmut Marko unilaterally signed Alex Dunne for the Red Bull junior program despite earlier conversations with the senior management, who didn't approve of the Irishman’s future with the team. As a result, Red Bull had to pay a fee to the Irish driver to get out of the contract.
With Helmut Marko's Red Bull exit imminent, fans took to the social media platform X and reacted to the 82-year-old’s mismanagement of Alex Dunne amid the Alpine reports.
“One final act of career destruction on his way out… Good job Marko,” commented a user
Another wrote, “Fingers crossed this one won't fall through like the Red Bull one. Good that Rodin have signed him up for a second season.”
“Somebody put this man in a retirement home PRONTO,” wrote another
Some came out and detailed how Helmut Marko was responsible for ruining the careers of multiple Red Bull junior drivers, as they wrote,
“Marko has always been the problem, not Horner. Marko had one great shot with Verstappen, after that, he just ruined promising careers regularly.”
Another commented, “Nothing is worse than power hunger”
“Good riddance. For a man who is 82 he sure acts like a toddler and feels so entitled,” commented another
Helmut Marko's meeting with Red Bull CEO after Abu Dhabi GP to decide his future
Soon after the Abu Dhabi GP, Helmut Marko came out and detailed the uncertainty around his future with the team. The Austrian suggested that he needs to sleep over the decision, but that there was a possibility of him leaving the sport.
“It's not in doubt, but I will have a discussion and then I see what I do. It's a complex [set] of different things. I have to sleep over it and then will we see.”
The said discussion took place in Abu Dhabi itself on the day after the Grand Prix, with Red Bull’s Sporting CEO Oliver Mintzlaff and other senior management present. According to a report by Dutch journalist Jacky Martens from The Limburger, Marko's departure from the Milton Keynes-based team is imminent following the decision taken at the meeting.
