Marko’s stunning admission after Verstappen title loss: 'Partly blame myself'

The 82-year-old, who announced his departure from the Austrian outfit days after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, stated that the team failed to provide the Dutch driver with a fitting car to challenge for the title.

Marko added that he shoulders part of the blame, which also influenced his decision to step down.

“We didn’t provide him with a car that was on par often enough. I partly blame myself for that, and that’s why I wanted to stop now,” he said via Merkur.

Verstappen missed out on what could have been a fifth consecutive Drivers’ Championship, finishing just two points behind eventual winner Lando Norris.

While the Dutch driver appears undeterred by how his 2025 campaign unfolded, Marko himself has been vocal about it and only recently also pointed the finger at former team principal Christian Horner, stating Verstappen could have won the championship had Horner been dismissed earlier.

Earlier, Ralf Schumacher sided with Marko over his claims about former Red Bull team boss Horner.

The former F1 driver highlighted how Horner’s power-thirsty attitude almost destroyed the Red Bull outfit during his final years at the Milton Keynes-based team.

Horner was shown the exit after more than two decades at Red Bull, amid a run of underwhelming results and several off-track controversies.

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