Red Bull director Helmut Marko says one rival F1 team are particularly active behind the scenes right now. The Bulls are the class of the field as it stands, setting their sights on a third straight constructors’ championship this season.
Max Verstappen, who is gunning for a fourth consecutive drivers’ title with the team, is under contract until 2028. But that hasn’t stopped competitors from checking on his availability.
Writing in a column for Speedweek, Marko lifted the lid on what’s happening in the paddock. This year’s driver market promises to be one of the busiest in recent memory, with more than half of the grid set to be free agents as it stands.
It’s just not Red Bull’s star driver who has attracted interest, with chief designer Adrian Newey also the subject of plenty of speculation. Newey’s RB19 was the most dominant car in F1 history, and the RB20 is looking like a worthy successor.
Elsewhere, Newey’s right-hand man Pierre Wache could also receive an offer or two. The teams are trying to assemble the best technical roster possible not only for 2025, but also for the sweeping regulation changes of 2026.
Helmut Marko names team at centre of F1 ‘games’
Marko is aware that the F1 rumour mill is ‘cooking’ at the moment, and has pinpointed a number of reasons why. The most obvious is Lewis Hamilton’s shock move to Ferrari, which the Scuderia confirmed in February.
Carlos Sainz, who will make way for Hamilton, is also under pressure to decide on his next team as Audi (soon to buy Sauber) push for his signature. And on top of that, Aston Martin are exploring opportunities on ‘several’ fronts.
For their part, Red Bull are in no rush to finalise plans for 2025. They won’t make their final calls until the summer.
Marko said: “In my opinion, the fact that the transfer rumour mill is already cooking like this at the beginning of April is due to several factors. First: Hamilton announced his move to Ferrari so early.
“And if Radio Paddock is to be trusted, Audi wants a decision from Carlos Sainz very soon. Aston Martin is also putting pressure in several directions.
“We do not take part in these games. We won’t hear from Red Bull Racing until the middle of the season about what’s going on in terms of personnel.”
Who is Aston Martin’s engine supplier?
Like McLaren, Williams and, of course, the works’ team, Aston Martin currently race with Mercedes power units. From 2026, however, they will run Honda engines as part of an exclusive deal.
Red Bull currently have a partnership with the Japanese brand but will run Ford badges on their powertrains at the start of F1’s new era. Aston owner Lawrence Stroll will see the Honda agreement as central to his plans to ascend to the front of the sport.
The Silverstone outfit took a step in the right direction last year when they bagged eight podiums en route to fifth in the championship. While they should still finish in the same position this year, they appear to have lost ground to the front-runners.
But it appears there’s no limit to Stroll senior’s ambition. He’s stepped up his pursuit of Newey in the knowledge that Verstappen would be ‘extremely likely’ to follow him out of Red Bull.
Stroll’s son Lance and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso are both out of contract at the end of the season. The biggest decision facing the billionaire this year is whether to renew one or both in a vast market.
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