Jos Verstappen says Ralf Schumacher \u201ctalks a lot of bulls**t\u201d after the former F1 driver claimed that Max Verstappen is missing the presence of Helmut Marko at Red Bull.<\/p>\n
Verstappen has endured a frustrating start to the F1 2026 season with Red Bull, scoring just 12 points across the opening three races.<\/p>\n
Jos Verstappen: Ralf Schumacher \u2018talks a lot of bulls**t\u2019<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n The four-time world champion has made no secret of his unhappiness with the sport\u2019s new rules, revealing at the recent Japanese Grand Prix that he is considering his future in F1.<\/p>\n Verstappen suffered another blow last week when it was announced that his long-serving race engineer, GianPiero Lambiase, is to join McLaren \u2018no later\u2019 than the 2028 season.<\/p>\n The news of Lambiase\u2019s exit came just days after PlanetF1.com reported that a senior member of Verstappen\u2019s pit crew<\/a>, Ole Schack, is to leave Red Bull after more than two decades with the team.<\/p>\n Go deeper: GianPiero Lambiase swaps Red Bull for McLaren<\/p>\n GianPiero Lambiase McLaren move raises fresh questions over Max Verstappen\u2019s Red Bull future<\/a><\/p>\n Ranked: Five memorable radio exchanges between Max Verstappen and GianPiero Lambiase<\/a><\/p>\n Jon Caller, Verstappen\u2019s number-one mechanic, is also understood to have tendered his resignation just months after his twin brother Matt left Red Bull for the Audi F1 team.<\/p>\n Red Bull has endured a turbulent couple of years off the track with the departures of several high-profile names including Christian Horner and Adrian Newey as well as Marko.<\/p>\n Schumacher, the former Williams and Toyota driver, recently claimed that the team is \u201cmissing Marko as a figure to give some kind of guidance.\u201d<\/p>\n Verstappen Sr has dismissed Schumacher\u2019s claim, writing in a post to social media: \u201cRalf talks a lot off [sic] bulls**t.\u201d<\/p>\n Verstappen Sr\u2019s comments come after his son revealed that he remains in contact with Marko following his departure from parent company Red Bull GmbH last December.<\/p>\n Ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Verstappen told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: \u201cMaybe a few less Austrian-sided jokes from Helmut, but I\u2019m in touch with him anyway.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe not so much about details of the car, but just life. I shared so many moments with him so, of course, it will feel a little bit different in the garage, but you also have to just look ahead.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to think about performance but at the same time, like I said, great relationship and we stay in touch anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n Laurent Mekies, the Red Bull team principal, recently commented that Marko remains \u201cvery open and available to us\u201d despite officially cutting ties with Red Bull.<\/p>\n As reported by PlanetF1.com last week<\/a>, Marko, a former racing driver who won the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1971, has been appointed an ambassador of the Red Bull Ring, the venue of F1\u2019s Austrian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n Marko made a total of nine F1 starts for the Bonnier and BRM teams across 1971\/72.<\/p>\n Additional reporting by Mat Coch and Thomas Maher<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n