Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko is no stranger to stirring up rumours in the Formula 1 paddock. Helmut Marko looks after Red Bull’s driver academy and has a key say in who drives for the organisation’s two F1 teams. This season, Marko has pushed for Liam Lawson to get his chance at RB and he was finally handed Daniel Ricciardo’s seat for the final six races of the campaign.

However, he’s also keeping a close eye on Red Bull’s two seats with Sergio Perez under increasing pressure. Perez has been told he could lose his seat at the end of the year despite having a contract that could theoretically run until the end of the 2026 campaign. Marko recently said he has had conversations with Mark Webber who is McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s manager.

Photo by Kym Illman/Getty ImagesSpeaking on the Pit Talk Podcast, journalist Mat Coch has now given more context about why Webber wanted to have a conversation with Marko. It appears as though not everything is as it seems when it comes to Marko’s comments. Why Mark Webber wants to talk to Helmut Marko after Oscar Piastri commentsReflecting on Marko’s comments about Piastri and when it was put to Coch that the Australian denied he was moving to Red Bull, he said: “Because he’s not, it’s that simple.

“This has nothing to do with Oscar Piastri. I did some digging on this, it has nothing to do with Oscar. “Mark Webber is seeking a meeting with Helmut Marko, but it is completely disconnected from Oscar Piastri, take that to mean what you like.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend“Helmut Marko has said something that is factually correct, but we don’t know what the full quote was. “We don’t know if it’s been taken and misconstrued or whatever because this has come out of the German press. “But Mark Webber is 100% chasing conversations with Helmut Marko about a driver, more will come out, but it’s not Oscar Piastri.

”Which drivers Red Bull are targeting with Sergio Perez’s F1 future in doubtMarko said earlier in the season that he would love to sign Piastri or his McLaren teammate Lando Norris. Whether either driver would leave McLaren is another matter, but it would also be interesting to see whether Red Bull considers them teammates or replacements for Max Verstappen. READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford linksThose two drivers are likely pipe dreams for Red Bull, but they face a much more pressing issue if Perez can’t turn his form around in the final four races of the campaign.

Lawson is pushing to replace Perez at Red Bull for next year and their clash at the Mexico City Grand Prix was particularly pertinent. That would open up a space within the team’s two line-ups and Williams driver Franco Colapinto is on their radar. Red Bull are reportedly lining up an offer for Colapinto who knows he won’t have a race seat at Williams next year.

Although the season is nearly over, there are still a few twists and turns in the driver’s market coming before the first race in Australia in 2025.