Wolff Believes 'Anything Is Possible' As He Grows Friendship With Verstappen's Key Ally
F1Thursday, 30 May 2024 at 12:00
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and Red Bull's motorsport advisor Helmut Marko discussed their growing friendship during the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix weekend.
Helmut Marko is one of the closest people to Max Verstappen on the Red Bull Racing F1 team. The 81-year-old played a key role in securing the Dutchman's seat at the beginning of his career and then supported him all throughout.
The two have a strong bond, and the triple World Champion is loyal to Marko. We saw proof of that during the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend when Marko's future with the team was at stake.
The 26-year-old then came out and warned that he would also if the 81-year-old had to leave the team. It is now understood that the Dutchman even has a clause in his contract that allows him to leave the team whenever Marko does.
There were also speculations suggesting that the Dutchman might actually leave Red Bull soon, and the team that emerged as his most likely next destination is Mercedes.
Marko said if Verstappen wanted to leave Red Bull now, he wouldn't stand in his way, which was interpreted as he could leave, allowing Verstappen to do so as well (because of the clause).
Here is where the Mercedes team principal comes in. Toto Wolff said he would take them both, and so it is interesting now to watch the growing friendship between the Mercedes team principal and Red Bull's motorsport advisor.
The two didn't use to have the best relationship, mainly because of the rivalry between their two teams, but Marko told OE24 that this has recently changed.
"There are no longer the tensions that we had in recent years. I heard that we are now blood brothers, but that is clearly an exaggeration."
Also, speaking to OE24, Wolff confirmed his relationship with the 81-year-old improved significantly as they found they have shared values.
"We have become much closer now. Despite the rivalry, there are common values that we stand for. With all the things that have happened in the past few months (in the Red Bull case involving Christian Horner, ed.), we have realized that we think alike."
The Austrian team principal was then asked whether we could see both Verstappen and Marko moving to Mercedes in 2026, and he responded: "Let’s put it this way: anything is possible in F1."
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