Marko unfazed despite Red Bull’s ‘risky’ 2026 approach

The Austrian, who recently stepped away from his role with the Milton Keynes-based outfit, expressed strong belief in the leadership structure now in place across both Red Bull Racing and its sister team, Racing Bulls.

“I see us as well-positioned for the difficult 2026 season. We have two good team principals in Laurent Mekies and Alan Permane,” Marko said to ServusTV.

The former advisor continued by highlighting the risk the team is taking with the development of its own engine for 2026, which is well enshrined in the principle he and the team founder, Didi Mateschitz, share.

“Red Bull is making its own F1 engine for the first time in its history, which is a huge step. This carries certain risks, but that was also a principle agreed upon between Didi Mateschitz and me – no risk, no fun,” he added.

The 2026 season will usher in a major reset for Formula 1, with extensive changes to both chassis and power unit regulations. The scale of the overhaul has fuelled widespread speculation about which teams will emerge at the front of the grid when the new era begins.

Earlier, Red Bull Racing team principal Laurent Mekies admitted the team faces a titanic challenge to be competitive within the first months of the new regulations.

The 38-year-old acknowledged that the Milton Keynes-based team opted to delay shifting its focus to next season, citing the need to identify the root causes of the problems it encountered in 2025.

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