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Helmut Marko, who is commonly referred to by the adjective ‘Motorsport Advisor to Red Bull Racing’ or ‘Team Consultant’, is officially the Formula 1 team manager whose name is on the corporate registry.
The 79-year-old Austrian businessman is one of only two Red Bull Racing directors as of 2023, alongside team principal Christian Horner.
Helmut Marko and Tanya Bauer, Motorsport Advisors of Red Bull Racing, Grundlsee, Austria, May 15, 2021
Marco made his F1 debut in the early 1970s alongside Niki Lauda, but when an eye injury in an accident forced him to retire, he embarked on a second life as a hotelier in Austria.
After that, he became the head of Red Bull’s young driver development program following working as a racing team owner. It is a well-known fact that he has discovered and nurtured F1 world champions such as Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.
Marco was appointed to the board of directors of Red Bull Racing on December 14, 2004, two days following the company name was changed from “Jaguar Racing” to “Red Bull Racing”. It seems that he was asked by Frank to help manage the team without a contract.
Application for registration of change of director indicating that Helmut Marko was appointed as a director of Red Bull Racing on December 14, 2004
Since then, he has been involved in the Milton Keynes team in the UK as one of the management team, but the founder of Red Bull GmbH, Dietrich Mateschitz, who became a director on the same day, passed away last October.
Due to his personal relationship with Mateschitz, Marko has in some ways been more deeply involved in key decisions than the team’s chief executive, Horner.
With the death of Mateschitz, Oliver Mintzlaff became the de facto head of the Red Bull F1 family, which changed the role of the bridge with the Austrian headquarters.
In an interview with Speedweek, Marko said: “It’s no longer a phone call following every training session or race. No more direct, personal, friendly relationships. Didi. (Mateschitz) was a visionary and a passionate person, but that is no longer the case.”
In the six months since Mateschitz’s death, he has met Mintzlaff only twice. Marco said, “I don’t know yet how much they will respond to our ideas,” and hinted that the control from the headquarters will be strengthened in the future, and the independence as a team may be lost.
He said, “I’m a free person. If I don’t enjoy it anymore, I can quit anytime.”
Dietrich Mateschitz, Austrian businessman and owner of Red Bull Racing
In fact, Red Bull Racing is not directly controlled by an Austrian energy drink company. The company is controlled through Red Bull Technology, in which Mateschitz is the largest shareholder.
Horner is also on the board of Red Bull Technology, while Marko is not.
Red Bull Motorsport Advisor Helmut Marko and Red Bull Sporting Officer Oliver Mintzlaff chat in the garage during FP3 of the F1 Abu Dhabi GP on November 19, 2022.
