Helmut Marko receives €8 million severance from Red Bull under gag clause

Red Bull paid long‑time Formula 1 adviser Dr Helmut Marko an €8 million severance package to force his retirement and silence him about the departure. According to f1‑insider reports cited by journalist Ralf Bach, the termination agreement includes a confidentiality clause that bars Marko from giving any interviews until the end of 2026. "The new Red Bull bosses, led by Oliver Mintzlaff, reportedly paid 8 million euros to ensure that even the last vestiges of Mateschitz’s philosophy of free speech disappeared," Bach wrote, adding that "He is not to give any interviews until the end of 2026."

Marko, who had served as Red Bull’s motorsport consultant since 2005 and built the Red Bull Junior Team, fell out of favour after founder Dietrich Mateschitz’s death and the arrival of new management. The team’s leadership now includes Laurent Mekies as team principal and Gwen Lagrue as head of the junior programme, signalling a shift away from the outspoken culture that Marko represented.