Helmut Marko is about to obtain an eight-figure payday after leaving the Purple Bull F1 crew.
In response to Germany’s Bild newspaper, the 82-year-old Austrian will likely be handed his full wage for 2026 when he half methods with Purple Bull on the finish of the yr.
Bild newspaper reported that Marko will take dwelling 10 million euros (roughly 870 million yen) when he leaves his place as motorsport advisor.
Purple Bull formally confirmed Marko’s departure after greater than 20 years with the crew after the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
There was a lot hypothesis concerning the precise nature of Marco’s sudden departure, however Marco himself insisted it was his determination to step down a yr sooner than deliberate.
“I’ve been concerned in motorsport for 60 years, however the previous 20-plus years at Purple Bull have been a unprecedented and really profitable journey,” Marko mentioned when his retirement was introduced.
“It has been an incredible time serving to to form and share with so many gifted individuals. I am so pleased with every part we have constructed and achieved collectively.
“Being so near lacking out on the World Championships this season touched me deeply and made it clear for me personally that now’s the precise time to finish this very lengthy, intense and profitable chapter.
“I want your complete crew each success sooner or later and am assured that they may proceed to battle for each World Championship titles subsequent yr.”
Throughout his time at Purple Bull, Marko was accountable for the crew’s driver improvement program and was liable for growing the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo.
Marco’s explosive Horner declare
Marko has since made a sequence of explosive claims about former Purple Bull crew principal Christian Horner.
“The previous few years with Horner weren’t enjoyable,” he instructed De Limburger. “There was a unclean sport being performed. Keep in mind after I claimed within the Sergio Perez period that Mexicans had much less focus than Dutch or Germans? It was a fabrication – in all probability by them (Horner’s camp).”
“The identical goes for the allegation that in 2024 I unfold the story that engine improvement was not on time and that we’d subsequently lose Ford as a accomplice. I didn’t say that, however Horner tried to make use of that to get me suspended. Because of Max’s help in Jeddah, that didn’t occur.”
“Increasingly we have been capable of show that Horner was mendacity about all types of issues. As soon as Chalerm realized that, he modified his thoughts.”
