We’ve reluctantly retired the Mad Dog Marko title now that Dr Helmut Marko—formerly known as Mad Dog Marko—has stepped down from his Red Bull role. No one ever seemed entirely sure what he actually did; officially, he was some kind of rootin’, tootin’, roving advisor. But he’s gone, and with him ends the Mad Dog’s reign.

That said, the Mad Dog—sorry, Dr Helmut Marko—isn’t fading quietly into retirement, rocking gently in a chair, wrapped in a blanket, clutching a mug of hot chocolate, and gazing wistfully at the Alps.

No. Dr Helmut Marko is very much still in the game, handing out interviews with the same unapologetic edge. And it’s always entertaining to hear from the Mad Dog… I mean, Dr Helmut Marko. In a recent interview, he suggested that Max Verstappen is “practically running” the team.

With the Christian Horner era over, new leaders like Laurent Mekies have stepped in. Marko believes Verstappen now wields near-management-level authority within the team. During a recent media interview he elaborated:

“The team has developed very well since the summer break, after Horner’s departure. Max has become such a leader now, he doesn’t need advice anymore – he’s practically running the team. Max has developed to such an extent that he no longer needs guidance. It would be presumptuous of me to add anything to that. In that sense, it’s a good solution.”

“I see everything is in good hands and I’m already enjoying the thought that I don’t have to fly to Australia in February. Together with Giampiero Lambiase, Max Verstappen’s engineer, I was actually convinced that we could and would win this fifth title.”

“The disappointment was all the greater then. GP didn’t recover for a quarter of an hour. Then I started thinking. Beforehand, I had already considered that a fifth title would have been a good reason to step down.”

“After some further consideration, I came to the conclusion that the fact that we didn’t win it was also a reason to quit.”