For over two decades, Helmut Marko was responsible for developing young talent at Red Bull. The 82-year-old Austrian, who also had his own team in the Formula 3000 championship for many years, has always had an eye for identifying promising young drivers.
While not all drivers in the Red Bull youth program have reached the pinnacle of motorsport, the podium or even the world title, in Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen Marko has brought two of the most extraordinary talents of recent years into Formula 1.
Although both Red Bull drivers “dominated” the Circus for years, their approach was clearly different. “Vettel approached everything more analytically, spent hours and hours with the engineers to get the most out of the car,” Marko reveals to Münchner Merkur/tz.
“At the beginning Max relied more on his natural instincts, but today he has transformed into a driver who knows exactly what he wants and can also lead a team,” adds the Austrian, who has an excellent relationship with his protégé. Verstappen is “special. Super fast, super talented and extremely focused.”
Max Verstappen’s character “is extremely rare”.
Marko brought the Dutchman into Formula 1 at just 17 years old. The Austrian also played a decisive role with Sebastian Vettel: he had a decisive influence on the hiring of the driver from Heppenheim and helped him win a total of four world titles with Red Bull.
Verstappen has also celebrated four world titles with Red Bull so far, as well as a total of 71 Grand Prix victories. Vettel achieved 53 successes in his career. Therefore, both former Red Bull young talents are currently among the four most successful drivers in the history of Formula 1, also thanks in part to Helmut Marko.
The Austrian has accompanied many talents since their debut, sometimes already from karting. But the relationship with Verstappen holds a special place for him. “With no other driver have I ever had such a close bond,” says Marko. “He has strong values that I would only attribute to people with good character. This combination is extremely rare.”
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