Is Helmut Marko pushing Webber to retire?

As the Australian’s contract expires at the end of the year and both parties seem inclined to extend it for 2012, “dissensions” are emerging regarding the Red Bull driver’s future beyond 2012.

Thus, when asked about Daniel Ricciardo’s future in Formula One, Helmut Marko stated, alongside the Hungarian Grand Prix: As for the other Australian (editor’s note: meaning Mark Webber), he will probably retire in 2012.

On his side, however, Christian Horner reminded that the team was in negotiations with the Australian: « We are discussing with Mark for next season and I expect him to be with us; he is a popular member of the team. We had planned to sit down and discuss it a bit later in the summer. Mark and I have a good relationship, and our conversations, as you all know, are quite frank. »

The question remains as to how many years the contract of the current No. 2 in the drivers’ standings will be extended, but one thing is certain, according to Christian Horner, Mark could still race for another 2, 3, or even 4 years in Formula One. It only depends on him because he is still competitive and still hungry.

Statements that therefore contrast with those of Helmut Marko, but Horner has his own explanation on this subject: You will have noticed that Helmut said probably. I think Helmut was probably more focused on Ricciardo, and this kind of thing can obviously be taken out of context.

Indeed, the former Austrian driver, currently the gray eminence of Dietrich Mateschitz and responsible for scouting young Red Bull talents, finds himself in a delicate situation as he only has 4 seats for 6 drivers.

It had long been expected that Daniel Ricciardo would make his Formula One debut with Toro Rosso, replacing Sebastien Buemi or—more likely, it was thought—Jaime Alguersuari. However, the recent performances of both drivers from the Faenza team have blocked any immediate possibility of placing the young Australian driver, forcing Red Bull to reach an agreement with HRT to offer a driving position to Daniel Ricciardo. But as soon as one young driver from the talent pool is settled, another emerges in the person of Jean-Eric Vergne, who seems set to clinch the Formula Renault 3.5 title, considered by the Austrian as a passport to F1.

Helmut Marko must therefore find seats for his two young protégés while taking into account the recent performances of the current Toro Rosso drivers, and thus targets the only seat occupied by a driver not coming from the Red Bull program: Mark Webber’s. Helmut Marko’s statements during the Hungarian Grand Prix leave no doubt about this: « We need to find out which of our young drivers can replace Mark Webber. »

A few months ago, in a joint interview with the two Australian drivers in the Red Bulletin, Daniel Ricciardo admitted: « There is always the pressure of feeling Dr [Helmut] Marko’s breath on your neck. » One thing is certain: Mark Webber now has a well-ventilated neck.