Marko’s comments in the aftermath of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix had caused quite a stir, as he cast doubt over whether he would remain in Milton Keynes next year. That was followed by an official statement confirming the split between the two parties after 20 years of major success and a long list of talents discovered.

Speaking to GPblog a few days later, Marko clarified that it was not a dismissal but a decision taken of his own accord, choosing instead to take a step back.

Following the Austrian’s departure, questions quickly arose over who would be appointed as his successor, with Red Bull confirming to GPblog that Guillaume “Rocky” Rocquelin has become the primary point of contact for the its Junior Team.

Born in Dijon in 1974, the Frenchman studied engineering at the Grenoble Institute of Technology before starting his motorsport career in the United States, where he worked as a trackside engineer in CART and IndyCar.

His career breakthrough came in 2006, when Red Bull entrusted him with the role of race engineer to David Coulthard.

After Coulthard’s retirement two years later, Rocquelin remained in the team as Sebastian Vettel stepped into the seat, forming what would go on to become one of the most iconic driver-engineer pairings in Formula 1 history.

Rocquelin remained alongside the four-time world champion for six seasons before being promoted to Head of Race Engineering in 2015, a position he held until 2022.

The 2022 Australian Grand Prix marked his final full race weekend trackside — aside from a handful of occasional FP1 appearances — as he was replaced by Max Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.

From April 2022 onwards, Rocquelin became the Head of the Austrian team's Driver Academy.