Helmut Marko hopes Max Verstappen does not emulate Nico Rosberg in one specific area

Red Bull senior advisor Dr. Helmut Marko hopes Max Verstappen doesn’t have a shock retirement from the sport like Nico Rosberg. The Austrian veteran felt that the double champion will not have a long career, given the long calendars.

Speaking to the Inside Line podcast, Marko said:

“I’m aware of it, he won’t go forever. But I hope that he doesn’t do it like Nico and just saying [it] after a bad year. Give us some warning, at least, so we can react on it! But I’m aware that it will come. He won’t stop racing completely. I think Le Mans and things like that where he’s just going to have fun and enjoy it, he will still do this sort of racing."

"But you can’t underestimate the pressure nowadays of Formula 1, it is 22/23 races, every week on the simulator, a lot of PR activities. It’s hard work and it’s a lot of stress and understandable. But I don’t know when, so I hope, at least, he fulfils his contract.”

Given the long calendars and relentless efforts required to be competitive in F1, Marko understands that Max Verstappen will not continue to race relentlessly. The Austrian feared the Dutchman pulling a Rosberg-like situation of announcing a shock retirement and hopes he gives the team advance notice before retiring.

The Red Bull senior advisor does not think the Dutchman will quit racing but feels he is interested in categories such as Le Mans. The double champion has admitted in the past that he does not plan to continue in the sport like Fernando Alonso or Lewis Hamilton. The current contract with Red Bull Racing ends in 2028 when the double champion will be 31 years of age.

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Max Verstappen takes a jibe at Lewis Hamilton for regulation change push

Reminding Lewis Hamilton of his own dominant streak in the sport, Max Verstappen believes it is not necessary to tweak the rules to end Red Bull’s domination.

The Dutchman felt nobody said the same when the Briton was winning and felt the narrative would have been different then if such a suggestion were made. The British champion felt the FIA needed to regulate the time to start the development of the car to end the one-team domination in the sport.

Responding to the suggestion made by the Briton on Sky Sports F1, Max Verstappen said:

“We weren’t talking about that when he was winning his Championships, right? So I don’t think we should now. It’s normal, of course, [for] people behind to say these kinds of things, but they should also not forget how it was looking when they were winning and if people would comment these kinds of things then probably they would comment a bit different, but that’s how it goes in Formula 1.”

Currently leading the driver’s championship by 69 points, Max Verstappen is expected to wrap up the championship earlier than he did last year. The lowest position the reigning champion has finished at has been second place.

His own teammate Sergio Perez has been unable to give him a run for his money, despite being in the same car. In the constructors championship, Red Bull are 156 points ahead of Mercedes, with 14 rounds left on the calendar.