Helmut Marko talks about Max Verstappen's retirement threat

Helmut Marko talks about Max Verstappen's retirement threat

.......................

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has stressed the importance of taking seriously Max Verstappen's recent statements about his possible early retirement from Formula 1. These threats have come in the wake of the controversy at the Singapore Grand Prix, when the FIA sanctioned the three-time world champion for the use of offensive language at a press conference, in which he described the performance of his Red Bull in Baku as “f***ed up.”

Verstappen, visibly upset by the sanction, chose to protest for the rest of the weekend by avoiding giving full answers at official press conferences, preferring to arrange his own meetings with the media. In those unofficial conferences, he hinted that the FIA's restrictions were undermining his enjoyment of competition, suggesting that he might consider retiring earlier than expected. “I'm at a stage in my career where I don't want to be dealing with this all the time. It's really exhausting,” the Dutchman noted.

Marko, in an interview with Motorsport-Total, echoed Verstappen's concerns, indicating that this is not an exaggeration on the driver's part. “You have to take Max seriously,” Marko said, noting that while Verstappen has achieved a lot in his career, the enjoyment of the sport remains fundamental to him. “If that gets more and more spoiled for him, then he's of a character that when he says, 'OK, that's it,' he means it,” he explained. Despite this, Marko hopes that the situation is not serious enough to push Verstappen to make that decision in the short term.

The tension between Verstappen and the FIA has highlighted how the policies of the body, headed by Mohammed Ben Sulayem, are affecting some of the sport's major players. However, both Marko and Red Bull's entourage are confident that the situation will not come to force the departure of their brightest star.