Max Verstappen (right) leads the drivers’ standings in Formula 1 ahead of his teammate Sergio Pérez.
Image: AP / Frank Augstein
formula 1
Published: 06/03/2023, 10:28 am
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko is regarded as Max Verstappen’s foster father in Formula 1. It was the Austrian who brought Verstappen into Formula 1 in 2015 when he was 17 at the time. A year later, Helmut Marko also pulled the strings when Verstappen switched from Red Bull’s junior team Toro Rosso to the Bulls’ main team.
“The doctor” has a feeling for driving talent like no other. Before Verstappen, Helmut Marko had already made Sebastian Vettel great. He steered him to Red Bull in 2009 – and thus established the most successful era of the racing team, in which Vettel and the team won four driver’s and just as many constructor’s titles.
Helmut Marko (right) made Sebastian Vettel big at Red Bull.
Image: imago images / Motorsport Images
Just as Vettel made all his teammates look old for years, the place next to Verstappen is also a thankless task today. The fact that the Dutchman has been driving away from the whole field for over a year casts a bad light on his team-mate, who is in the same car.
Sergio Pérez wants to challenge Max Verstappen for the world title
Since 2021, the second driver at Red Bull has been Sergio Pérez. Although the experienced Mexican can always come up trumps against Verstappen and is considered one of the best drivers in the field, especially on street circuits, Pérez is already 39 points behind Verstappen after completing six races of the season.
Sergio Pérez had a weekend to forget at the last race in Monaco.
Image: Pool EPA / Christian Bruna
Given the superiority of this year’s Red Bulls, Pérez is the last hope for an exciting World Cup fight for many fans. But Helmut Marko is now trying to pull this tooth out for them quickly.
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In an interview with “oe24”, the Red Bull advisor said when asked whether he had expected more resistance from Sergio Pérez in the fight for the title: “That’s done.” According to Helmut Marko, there was never a real duel for the world title between the two teammates. “In truth, Max never saw any serious danger in Pérez,” said the 80-year-old.
Red Bull: Helmut Marko with a devastating verdict on Sergio Pérez
For a Red Bull official to punish one of the team’s incumbent drivers so severely is unusual. However, Verstappen has been the clear and undisputed number one in the team for years. It’s an open secret that the second driver is only there to back him up and secure the team’s Constructors’ Championship.
“I met Max with Senna a few years ago [Ayrton Senna, dreifacher F1-Weltmeister aus Brasilien, Anm. d. Red.] compared and laughed at. The know-it-alls from back then are slowly running out of arguments,” Marko continued in the interview. “The incredible qualifying lap he did in Monaco on Saturday comes close to Senna,” explained Marko. For him it is clear: “Max is the best under all conditions.”