Helmut Marko claims Toro Rosso had a ‘toxic’ atmosphere when Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz were teammates

Max Verstappen always had the upper hand on Carlos Sainz during their time together.

Helmut Marko claims Toro Rosso had a ‘toxic’ atmosphere when Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz were teammates

Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz (Credits: The Sportsrush)

Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz share a tainted history. They were teammates at Toro Rosso(AlphaTauri) during their early days in F1, and the Red Bull team adviser, Helmut Marko has taken the time to dwell on it.

During their time together, Max Verstappen despite being the younger teammate, was comfortably able to get the better of Carlos Sainz. Moreover, seeing Verstappen’s results he was given the call-up to Red Bull.

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While Sainz moved to Renault at the end of 2017, Helmut Marko has admitted that things were not smooth sailing during their time together. He added, as reported by, Red Bulletin:

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It was his bad luck to get Max as a team-mate. The atmosphere between the two at Toro Rosso was quite toxic. In the set-up we had at the time, I couldn't see a way of keeping him with us and so he moved to Renault, McLaren, and then on to Ferrari.

Looking at the reaction of the 80-year-old veteran, it is quite clear that Toro Rosso(AlphaTauri) faced an extremely difficult time keeping a healthy atmosphere on the team. Sainz and Verstappen were quite aggressive on and off the track during their early years.

Max Verstappen has been on an upward trajectory since leaving Toro Rosso

While Toro Rosso had a tough time maintaining a healthy relationship between Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz, the former has achieved great things since leaving the Red Bull junior team. As of today, Verstappen has become a 3-time world champion in F1.

Helmut Marko, Max Verstappen and Christian Horner (via IMAGO)
Helmut Marko, Max Verstappen and Christian Horner (via IMAGO)

However, when it comes to Sainz, he has not been able to match Verstappen’s success because of a plethora of reasons. The Spaniard is yet to have a world championship-worthy car underneath him.

The 2024 F1 season is just a few months away and the way Max Verstappen’s career has panned out so far, he would be willing to continue his winning run. The Dutchman will have several eyes on him during the upcoming campaign.

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