After 21 years, Helmut Marko has bid farewell to Red Bull. The senior advisor is considered one of the architects of the Austrian racing team’s success. As a talent scout, he gave numerous promising drivers a chance in the team’s training program, including several major Formula 1 drivers. It’s time to look back at the Red Bull career of Helmut Marko, the man who brought Max Verstappen to Formula 1.
Helmut Marko was active in Formula 1 himself in the early ’70s. However, his career came to an abrupt end during the 1972 French GP. A flying stone hit the visor of the then 32-year-old driver, blinding him in his left eye. Condemned to follow motorsport from the sidelines, Marko took it upon himself to guide other drivers. In 1989, he founded team RSM Marko and participated in the Formula 3000 class. This caught the attention of Red Bull CEO and fellow Austrian Dietrich Mateschitz. The latter wanted to use motorsport to promote his energy drinks and appointed Helmut Marko as an advisor. Thus, RSM Marko was transformed into the Red Bull Junior Team.
In 2005, Red Bull became not just a sponsor, but a team owner in Formula 1. The struggling Jaguar team was bought, and Red Bull Racing was born. The British Christian Horner was appointed as team boss, but Helmut Marko remained as the main advisor and confidant of Mateschitz. Marko had a lot of say in the contracting of drivers and was not afraid to give promising talents an accelerated chance in the premier class. This happened via Toro Rosso, formerly Minardi, the sister team of the Austrians.
Helmut Marko and Sebastian Vettel in 2012
With Sebastian Vettel, Helmut Marko brought a future world champion into his fold for the first time. The German was initially loaned out to BMW Sauber for his debut, but was quickly recalled to Toro Rosso and later Red Bull. In 2010, Vettel became the youngest ever world champion in Formula 1; Helmut Marko’s training school proved to be a winning formula. Between 2011 and 2013, he won the title three more times, while Red Bull claimed the constructors’ championship four times in a row.
Max Verstappen as Vettel’s Successor
In Max Verstappen, Helmut Marko found Vettel’s successor. The Dutchman was not part of the junior team, but had made a name for himself in the training classes. Marko recognized his talent and guaranteed him a spot at Toro Rosso in 2015, at the age of 17. In 2016, Verstappen inherited the Red Bull seat from Daniil Kvyat and has held onto it to this day. The Dutchman excelled and won four more titles for the main team between 2021 and 2024.
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Finding a Suitable Teammate for Verstappen
Finding a suitable teammate for Verstappen proved to be a challenging task. Daniel Ricciardo chose to leave in 2019, after which Red Bull and Helmut Marko quickly reviewed several talents. Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon were the first to be eliminated. Veteran Sergio Pérez lasted longer, presumably because team boss Christian Horner protected him; Marko would have preferred to deploy a young talent. Reportedly, this led to tensions between the two. This year, Liam Lawson was given the opportunity to compete in two Grand Prix before he was replaced by Yuki Tsunoda. Next year, Verstappen will be joined by Isack Hadjar. The rapid driver changes often led to criticism of Marko’s approach.
Marko’s Position Under Pressure
In 2024, Marko’s position came under pressure due to the scandal surrounding Horner. The team boss was accused of inappropriate behavior, leading to a rift between Marko’s Austrian camp – with Dietrich Mateschitz’s successor, Oliver Mintzlaff – and the Thai major shareholders. Verstappen repeatedly emphasized his loyalty to the top advisor and linked his own future to that of Marko. Eventually, Horner was fired in July of this year. His replacement, Laurent Mekies, brought calm to the team, but also wants to innovate within the management. This was the moment for Marko to step down at the age of 82.
