"A calculated risk" - Helmut Marko defends decision to sign inexperienced 17-year-old Max Verstappen

Red Bull F1 team consultant Helmut Marko revealed the decision to hire Max Verstappen at a young age was worth the risk. The Austrian talent scout for the Milton Keynes team believes although it was a risk, the Dutchman lived up to their expectations from his days at their junior team, Toro Rosso.

Speaking in a Dutch book called Formula Max, Marko said:

“The criticism was to be expected, but in all honesty it was a calculated risk…All in all it was a very good preparation for his first F1 season. Of course, it's always a risk because drivers who are successful in junior categories don't necessarily have to be successful in Formula 1.”

Many of the F1 drivers were excellent in their junior categories, however failed to deliver in F1. Nico Hulkenberg is one of the few with an excellent record outside F1, but was had the unenviable record of never scoring a podium in the sport in a decade. In that aspect, Marko had confidence in Max Verstappen’s talent, despite knowing it was a risk hiring him at the young age of 17.

Revealing details about Max Verstappen’s preparation, Marko said:

“We gave Max all the appropriate tests at Toro Rosso within the regulations..He made his first FP1 appearance at one of the most difficult circuits of the calendar, which was Suzuka, and it was somewhere good to see how he would deal with such a difficult track.”

The Suzuka FP1 session Marko was referring to was the Dutchman’s first F1 outing at the 2014 Japanese GP weekend, where he replaced Jean Eric Vergne at Toro Rosso. Aged 16, the Dutchman had clocked the 12th fastest lap of the session, impressing his Red Bull recruiters.

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Helmut Marko believes Max Verstappen matched Carlos Sainz in the Toro Rosso

In his debut year at Toro Rosso, the Dutch champion was paired with a far more experienced Carlos Sainz. However, according to Helmut Marko the 17 year old Dutchman who had minimal single-seater racing experience was able to match the Spaniard in an F1 car immediately.

Explaining why hiring the Dutch driver was worth the risk, Marko said:

“During the conversation I had with him, I was convinced that he was ahead of his time. Both physically and mentally he was strong enough for F1. We never doubted our decision..Max had a more experienced team-mate at Toro Rosso with Carlos Sainz [Jr], he had much more experience in the junior series, but Max immediately started at the same level.”

While both Red Bull and Helmut Marko knew it was a risk to hire Max Verstappen at a young age, neither have regretted it since. The Dutchman had learnt to compete and outperform much older and more experienced rivals and world champions in his second season in F1. Red Bull’s proudest moment was when he won the 2016 Spanish GP at his first weekend with the Milton Keynes team.