Marko confirms Red Bull is completely done with Juri Vips
Juri Vips’ ties to Red Bull have been totally severed, and Helmut Marko has acknowledged that he is no longer involved with the team, clearing up any doubt.
Helmut Marko
Marko says Red Bull and Ferrari are even after Baku
Helmut Marko believes that Red Bull and Ferrari are now on an equal footing after both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz retired at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Marko demands answers over Aston Martin car, claims there is evidence
Helmut Marko is demanding answers despite the FIA clearing Aston Martin of any wrongdoing with their newest enhancements amid comparisons to Red Bull’s RB18.
Marko suggests Hamilton would have retired from F1 at the end of 2021 season
Lewis Hamilton’s troubles with the Mercedes W13, according to Helmut Marko, may have led him to believe he should have retired at the end of last season.
Marko: We are yet to see the best of Max
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has claimed that Max Verstappen is still growing stronger after securing his maiden title in Abu Dhabi last weekend. In a dramatic season finale at Yas Marina, Verstappen snatched victory from title rival Lewis Hamilton on the final lap in a move that brought a lot of controversy considering Hamilton had dominated over most of the race. 24-year old Verstappen is not new to Formula 1 as he has been on the pinnacle of motorsports for seven seasons despite the young age. However, Helmut Marko believes that the new champ is yet to get to his ‘climax’. “He is a driver who I’m sure is not at the end of his abilities,” the Red Bull boss told the BBC. “We saw his qualifying performance at the last two races, in Jeddah and Abu Dhabi. He did qualifying laps that were so much more than the car could deliver.” “And that’s why we believe we haven’t seen the climax of Max Verstappen. The more he wins, the more relaxed he gets.” Max Verstappen made his debut back in 2014 just aged 17 years driving for the Red Bull junior Formula 1 team Toro Rosso(currently AlphaTauri) in the Japanese Grand Prix Free Practice. In the 2015, the Dutchman got a seat with the team before getting promoted to the senior team the following season. On his debut year with Red Bull, Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix. This proved to Red Bull that they were already having a champion. Helmut Marko also admits that he spotted the young talent in Formula 3 just 15 years old, adding that Verstappen’s fast learning and development impressed him. “The first serious discussion I had with him was when he was 15. I saw him in a Formula 3 race where he was so much better than anyone else,” said Marko. “It was wet and dry conditions and after this race, which he won by miles, I had a discussion with him for nearly two hours normally with a young person I talk for 20 minutes – and I was surprised what a mature human being he was in a very young body.” “His determination or his will to win…he knew what he wanted to do,” Marko continued. “We were talking about the future and so on and after two or three weeks we said ‘forget all the other junior activities, we go straight into Formula 1.”
Helmut Marko ‘sorry’ for comments made after Hamilton-Verstappen contact in Jeddah
Helmut Marko has admitted he was wrong after comments he made on Hamilton’s ‘brake test’ claim in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko admits he was wrong after claiming that Max Verstappen had not braked excessively causing Lewis Hamilton to run into the back of the Dutchman’s car in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The clash which happened on lap 37 back straight between F1’s title rivals was a major talking point after the eventful race in Jeddah. Ahead of the stewards’ decision to hand a 10-second penalty to Verstappen for “erratic” driving and causing the incident, a furious Marko claimed that Red Bull’s data would prove that Verstappen had not brake-tested his rival as Hamilton had alleged in the heat of the moment. “Our engineers are preparing, we can prove Max was constant with his braking, he didn’t brake test like Hamilton said,” said the Austrian, according to Autosport. “Then he crashed into our car,” Marko insisted. “He unfortunately put two cuts in the rear tyre, that was so severe that we couldn’t attack anymore. We had to take speed out.” However Marko has come to apologise for the comments he made claiming the information given by the engineers was wrong. “At the time of the television interview, I passed on exactly the information that I had previously received from the engineers. They obviously weren’t right, so I’m sorry,” Marko now tells F1insider. “Hopefully the sad chapter of Saudi Arabia has now closed,” he adds. “In any case, we’re just looking ahead. We want to win in Abu Dhabi and so win the title. “We will do everything for this, but we will not take any unfair actions. In Saudi Arabia we already had the pace to keep up with Hamilton. The route in Abu Dhabi should be more accommodating to us.”
Verstappen will not be easing pressure on Mercedes, wants to win last four races – Marko
Max Verstappen is not going into ‘cruise’ mode to simply manage his 19-point championship lead over Lewis Hamilton for the last four races of 2021. “He will drive for victory in every race,” declared Dr Helmut Marko, who revealed that he is recovering from a case of gastrointestinal ‘Montezuma’s Revenge’ after Verstappen’s most recent win in Mexico. “It’s nothing dramatic,” said the 78-year-old Austrian. “I’ll be fit again in Sao Paulo.” Also fit and strong, Marko insisted, will be Hamilton and Mercedes, even though Interlagos is expected to be another circuit that suits Red Bull better. “Mercedes is an extremely strong opponent,” he told f1-insider.com. “We have to keep applying the pressure and setting ourselves high goals. “That’s why we want a one-two in Sao Paulo. “Trying to just get podiums and points to win the title in the end is useless,” Marko continued. “It’s not in Max’s blood. “Experience also shows us that the error rate can actually increase if you try to take it more slowly than usual.” He is sure, however, that Verstappen will not creak under the pressure of trying to win his first F1 title against the sport’s most successful driver in history. “Max still surprises us,” said Marko. “You think he’s already at his peak performance and then he goes one better. It’s unbelievable what kind of capacities he has at his relatively young age.” Verstappen, 24, confirmed Marko’s claim that he won’t be easing off the throttle in Brazil and beyond. “I know I’m in the fight, but it doesn’t change my approach,” he told Square Mile magazine.
Albon defends Marko, says he’s not a ‘villain’
Former Red Bull driver Alex Albon says Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko is not a ‘villain’ as everyone brands him because of the team’s driver story. Max Verstappen, who has displayed a very impressive performance with Red Bull has only had one long lasting teammate since he joined the team in 2016. This was Daniel Ricciardo who currently drives for McLaren, the two were together up to the end 2018 when the Australian chose to depart. since Ricciardo’s departure, Verstappen has had three teammates up to date. The first was Pierre Gasly who was promoted from AlphaTauri but only lasted 12 races after Red Bull ousted him as the season was in progress and opted for Alexander Albon who went ahead to finish a challenging 2020 season with the team. Albon only did 25 races. Red Bull announced late last year that former Racing Point driver Sergio Perez will be replacing Albon for the 2021 season. The teams decisions to change the drivers are spearheaded by Helmut Marko and team boss Christian Horner, with Marko even criticising his drivers in the media. Perhaps that is the reason he is branded as the bad guy in the Red Bull story. Alex Albon says it is not fair how the 78-year-old Red Bull adviser is potrayed. “I think there’s a misconception about it, truthfully speaking,” the Thai-British driver told the F1 Nation podcast. “I think there’s that ‘villain’ role played within the media about it all, but it’s definitely nowhere near like that, basically.” “You guys know more than I do. I think Helmut probably gets the worst role on the global side of it, but I think it’s just Red Bull in general.” “Firstly, you have to realise they are a winning team, they expect good results. “That leads to a culture within the team of ‘we’re not winning, we’re not happy’ and that’s how it should be really, especially the top three teams, generally being Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, that’s what they expect. “Of course it’s tough, especially when you don’t have much experience to be in a top team. But yeah, that is what it is. I think more than anything it’s just trying to get confident with the car.” Albon will be making a return to the Formula 1 grid with Williams next year.