Marko signalled after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that he had not yet decided whether he would continue in 2026, despite his contract running through that season.

Speaking at Yas Marina, he said: “It’s not in doubt, I will have a discussion and then I see what I do.”

He added that it was “a complex [set] of different things. I have to sleep over it and then will we see.”

According to reports from The Telegraph and BILD, Marko is expected to leave at the end of 2025, with Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff said to be preparing for a clean organisational reset following a turbulent year.

His exit would follow the mid-season removal of Christian Horner, whose long tenure as team principal ended after a bitter internal power struggle.

Horner’s departure paved the way for Laurent Mekies to take charge and begin reshaping the team’s structure ahead of the 2026 rules overhaul.

Marko has been central to Red Bull’s F1 identity since 2005, shepherding its junior talent system and playing a key role in the world titles won by Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.

But after his involvement in the internal coup that removed Horner, and amid scrutiny over his role in Kimi Antonelli receiving more than 1000 abusive messages following Marko’s public criticism of the Mercedes driver at the Qatar GP, his influence within the reshaped hierarchy has come under question.

Mekies would not be drawn on whether Red Bull wants Marko to continue but acknowledged the team is re-evaluating its structure across all departments.

“Helmut has been incredible in how supportive he has been into helping us turning around things this year,” he said.

“Obviously, him and top management had quite a few difficult decisions to make in the year, and of course, we always know F1 is not a static environment.

“You always adjust your organisations. It applies to technical, it applies to sporting, and it’s completely normal that we review how we can improve the way we operate all the time.

“I’m not saying that specifically for Helmut, but I’m saying that in general, we are in an environment where we always challenge each other and look for the next steps, no matter how small it is in trying to work together.”

The potential loss of Marko would resonate most with Verstappen, who has long credited him as a decisive figure in his career.

Marko offered Verstappen an F1 seat for 2015 when other teams pushed for a GP2 season, and the pair have remained close through the team’s internal upheavals.

Verstappen has previously said he would consider following Marko out of Red Bull if he ever departed, a declaration made during the height of last year’s internal struggle.