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Marko Jos Verstappen Favours Wolff Over Horner

Marko: Jos Verstappen Favours Wolff Over Horner

28/08/2024

Red Bull’s Marko reveals Jos Verstappen’s preference for Wolff and highlights Mercedes as a major contender for Max.

Helmut Marko fully understands that Toto Wolff is trying to bring Max Verstappen to Mercedes F1. The Red Bull consultant acknowledges that the two men might occasionally meet, and he does not hide the fact that the Verstappen clan, especially his father Jos, prefers working with Wolff over Christian Horner, the Red Bull boss.

“It would not be good team management if he did not try to get Max,” Marko stated on the Inside Line F1 podcast. “I think all the major teams would like to have Max. The other story is that everyone lives in Monte Carlo.”

“When there is no Grand Prix, Monte Carlo is a quiet place, and there are not many cafes, so it’s natural to run into each other, and of course, Toto makes a story of it. On the other hand, I think Jos Verstappen is a bigger fan of Toto than of Christian.”

However, Marko denies that Verstappen is examining exit clauses: “Every Formula 1 driver contract includes performance-based exit clauses. But for now, Max is focused on the championship and on the team to win this championship.”

“We must look to the future and 2026 is coming with new rules and no one knows yet who will have a competitive engine. Of course, what happened in 2014 was that suddenly, the engine we used was at least 50 horsepower behind and was not reliable.”

“So we really do not know what is going to happen. But for now, it is clear, Max will drive for Red Bull Racing next season, and we need to give him a car that can win and all these rumors, I think, will stop immediately.”

The Austrian acknowledges that such a clause indeed exists in favor of the driver: “Of course, I do not want to discuss such clauses, but they are based on performance. So, if the team does not provide a car that allows the driver to be at the forefront, it is normally a reason why he might leave.”

Red Bull Views Mercedes as Threat to Max Red Bull Views Mercedes as Threat to Max

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