Red Bull’s influential auto racing adviser Helmut Marko is retiring from his role at the age of 82, ending a 20-year stint in which he helped Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen develop into four-time Formula 1 champions.

Marko was a key figure who prepared Verstappen to become the youngest driver in F1 history when he made his debut aged just 17 in 2015, and the pair have been close ever since.

“Thank you, Helmut,” Verstappen wrote on Instagram. “We’ve achieved everything we ever dreamed of together. I’m forever grateful for your belief in me.”

Marko’s departure leaves Red Bull without the two main guiding personalities from its 2005 entry into F1 after longtime team principal Christian Horner was ousted in July and replaced by Laurent Mekies. Another key figure, car design great Adria

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