(Video) Helmut Marko recalls young Max Verstappen karting alone in the rain till his ‘fingers froze’ in Italy
Helmut Marko has often praised Max Verstappen publicly for his determination towards F1.
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Helmut Marko and young Max Verstappen karting (image via IMAGO and X/433_Marc)
Max Verstappen is a three-time F1 champion and is often regarded as the best driver worldwide. His journey to the pinnacle of the championship required him to make loads of sacrifices. Subsequently, Red Bull Consultant Helmut Marko shed light on how the Dutchman in his junior karting days drove till his fingers froze in adverse climatic conditions.
Red Bull has been backing Max Verstappen since the time he used to compete in junior categories. On the other hand, his father, Jos Verstappen, was a former F1 driver, known for the stringent rules that he imposed on his son to ensure he became a successful driver.
This stringency of his father and determination of the young Dutchman caught Helmut Marko‘s eyes when Verstappen was in Italy. He recalled an instance when Verstappen was driving in soaking conditions till his fingers were frozen.
In the winter in Italy, as soon as it started raining, everyone went to the cafeteria. Except for Max Verstappen. As long as his fingers weren't completely frozen, he had to drive.Helmut Marko said in an interview
The Austrian elaborated that during the winters in Italy when the rain fell on the track, every driver went to the cafeteria. However, the Dutchman was different as he kept on driving to gain an edge over his competitors. This showed how Verstappen was different from his rivals and how he gave his all to achieve his dream of becoming a world champion.
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On the other hand, the 26-year-old is not the only champion Red Bull has mentored under its wings as Sebastian Vettel still takes the spot for many people as the king of Red Bull Racing. While this debate might continue for a few more years, this debacle sheds light on how the Austrian giant’s junior driver academy has been successful in finding potential world champions.
The 81-year-old compared F1 to football on how junior athletes have similar paths in their climb to success.
I am very proud that we signed Vettel and Verstappen. They both came out of the junior programme and became world champions. If you look at football teams or ice hockey teams, they have junior academies and building sportsmen and women.Helmut Marko said on the Inside Line podcast
Marko claimed he was proud of the team for signing Vettel and Verstappen at an early age. He glanced over a saying by Dietrich Mateschitz, who used to say that Red Bull does not buy stars, it builds them. Furthermore, he insisted on a sense of similarity between how the F1 and football teams worked on promoting young talents.
Despite Verstappen’s excellence, he is currently under a massive threat by Lando Norris to lose the world title. Thus, if the reigning champion wants to equal Vettel’s Red Bull record, he would have to go all-out and pray his team resolves the problems with the RB20 as soon as possible.
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Geetansh Pasricha
(772 Articles Published)