Helmut Marko glad to see Red Bull reaping the benefits of massive and ‘courageous’ gamble

Helmut Marko recalls the mindset at Red Bull when the team made an ambitious driver move.

Helmut Marko glad to see Red Bull reaping the benefits of massive and ‘courageous’ gamble

Max Verstappen and Helmut Marko

Max Verstappen has now won 38 races for Red Bull Racing. This puts the Dutchman’s tally beside Sebastian Vettel for the Austrian Team. Verstappen made his F1 debut at 17 and was promoted to the Milton Keynes team shortly after. Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko recently expressed his delight in seeing the 25-year-old’s success.

Marko mentioned his continued faith in Max Verstappen when Red Bull signed the Dutchman. Yet Milton Keynes was not prepared for the success the 25-year-old would have in the sport. However, the team did know the talent Max possessed. He said, “When we brought Max in I was always confident that he would win races but not that he would be so dominant at this young age.”

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Although, the Red Bull consultant mentioned that this was the same as when they signed Sebastian Vettel. As the German driver went on to win four back-to-back world titles. Helmut continued, “But we didn’t think that with Vettel at the time either.”

The 80-year-old saw this as the perfect lesson for how F1 rewards ambitious decisions. Despite Red Bull demoting Russian F1 driver Daniil Kvyat for Verstappen in 2016. Marko stated, “It shows that you all have to be innovative and courageous.”


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“There will be a lot more.” Helmut Marko on Max Verstappen’s wins

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Max won his first F1 GP as a Red Bull Racing driver at the 2016 Spanish GP

Verstappen has dominated F1 in recent times as the Dutchman stands virtually unchallenged on the grid. Helmut Marko credited the two-time world champion for his success. The 80-year-old was optimistic about many more wins coming for the 25-year-old. He said, “Hopefully there will be a lot more.” Max has won three of the first five rounds of the 2023 season.

The Dutchman is considered the favorite for the F1 world title this year despite a newfound challenge in the form of teammate Sergio Perez. Verstappen has the upper hand in this pairing as the 25-year-old came home in a dominant win in Miami. This has further boosted the prospects of the reigning world champion this season.

Thus, Dr. Helmut Marko is happy to see Red Bull’s decision pay off. The Austrian team raised eyebrows when it promoted Max Verstappen to its team in 2016. However, the Dutchman proved the critics wrong as he won the 2016 Spanish GP. Since then, Verstappen has proven Marko’s move correct time and time again, especially with his two world titles.

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