‘I’ve told you too much’, says Helmut Marko as Red Bull adviser hints Max Verstappen is in BREACH of Red Bull contract
RED BULL advisor Helmut Marko could have landed Max Verstappen in hot water after admitting he may have breached his contract.
Verstappen, 26, is looking to bounce back from the disappointment he suffered in the last Formula One race in Australia at the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix.
The three-time world champion was forced to end his race early in Melbourne due to a brake failure, allowing Carlos Sainz – who had already passed him on track – to claim the eventual race win.
With no race last weekend, Verstappen has had time to debrief.
However, exactly what he got up to during the break now seems to have been revealed by Marko – who last month was the subject of an investigation from the
Speaking to OE24 about the brake failure, Marko said: “Unfortunately, such a defect happens sometimes.
“In the meantime, Max was skiing in Japan in the most wonderful, best deep snow in the world.”
Skiing is one activity banned in the Dutchman’s Red Bull contract, which runs until 2028 and is said to be worth a cool £43million a year.
When this was pointed out to 80-year-old Marko, he added: “I’ve already told you too much.”
Bans for dangerous sports were highlighted as being in footballers contracts to Verstappen earlier this season, to which he said: “Me, too. No dangerous sports. There is a risk in everything.
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“I haven’t skied in five years because of the risk of breaking or twisting something with all the consequences that entails.
“And of course also in the knowledge that there are still years to come in which I have a great chance of becoming champion again and winning races.
“If you think about that, you automatically take fewer risks.”
Whether Verstappen will face any repercussions remains to be seen, though he reported normally for media duties today.
Verstappen has won the last two Japanese Grand Prix.
During the winter off-season Mercedes’ George Russell was seen at ski slopes in Austria alongside team principal Toto Wolff, while Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso also enjoyed some of his own skiing fun.
Russell himself also admitted some drivers break a strict no-drinking rule on F1 weekends, but did not name any culprits.
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