Dr Helmut Marko has for the first time acknowledged that Max Verstappen's spot at Red Bull is directly tied to his own position within the F1 team.
Following a period of relative peace after the earlier 2024 power struggles, a fresh clash has erupted between Max's father Jos and Christian Horner at the energy drink company's own Austrian GP event.
"The more noise there is, the faster Max drives," Jos told Dutch media on Saturday with a smile, as Max returned to top form.
However, this 'noise' was generated by Jos himself at the Red Bull Ring, where he withdrew from a legend's parade, accusing Horner of trying to block or even sabotage his runs in an older F1 car.
"I heard that I even had to watch out for whether the thing would brake," said Verstappen, 52, to Viaplay.
"For someone who leads the team and who wants to create peace within the team, I think this is very strange," he added.
On Saturday, Max addressed the situation for the first time, admitting it was "not nice" for his father, Horner, and the entire team. "Of course I can understand my dad's opinion on that," said the triple world champion. "On the other hand, I'm here to focus on performance. So I want a good relationship with everyone."
Some were surprised Jos didn't just leave the circuit when the dispute began, but he insists his priority is his son.
"He will get the peace he needs," Jos said. "But Max himself doesn't talk about it. He was sitting there when this was first said to me, and he just shook his head.
"It's a bit sad," he added, "but on the other hand it's about forgetting and moving on. I hope they keep building a car for Max to win. Then Max will be fine, and I also do everything so that he is fine.
But as soon as that is no longer the case, we know what will happen," Jos warned.
The major risk is that the Verstappen camp has built into the 2028 contract specific conditions under which the 26-year-old can leave early.
One such condition is that Dr Helmut Marko must always be part of the team.
"We need peace and quiet to guarantee success and that's why we sat down together," Marko told Kleine Zeitung, addressing earlier rumors of his potential ousting.
"I have a contract until 2026 and, provided that all my functions remain unchanged, I will fulfill this contract," he explained. "Then Max's release clause will not play a role. And his performance clauses are currently irrelevant anyway."
Marko, 81, admitted he was displeased with the latest Verstappen-Horner conflict. "I would use the German word kindergarten here," said the Austrian.
"I'm annoyed about the whole thing. First of all, Jos is not exactly the easiest. And Christian does not understand that Jos is Jos. He is not going to change him, and he will always do what he thinks is right.
Whether it is really right is another question," Marko smiled.
Max, for his part, supported his father and Red Bull team boss Horner to resolve their issues for the sake of the team.
"I think they're mature enough to talk about it eventually," he said. "We have to remember, it's going to be a tough year. There are still penalties coming for me if I have to change an engine. So I'm busy trying to get as many points out of it as possible at the moment.
"Again, this is all very unnecessary, and it needs to be addressed better," the world championship leader added.
