“If they can't survive Helmut, they'll never survive F1”: Red Bull boss on Helmut Marko’s approach with drivers

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner defended team advisor, Dr Helmut Marko for his infamous arrogant language against their drivers, especially rookies. He stated that if the new drivers cannot handle the pressure from Marko, then they cannot handle the intense pressure of Formula 1 either.

Horner said on the ESPN Unlapped podcast:

"He's a tough operator with the junior drivers but if they can't survive Helmut, they'll never survive F1. He's a communication manager's nightmare. So when Helmut goes rogue, then you guys only have to prod him and you'll get a headline."

Dr. Helmut Marko has been with Red Bull since 2005 and has been an important part of the team. At the same time, he has been known to be straightforward and sharp in his tone with younger drivers who become a part of the team.

He broke the news to Nyck de Vries about his possible removal from the seat if he failed to perform.

Some of these things would perhaps go pretty tough on a newbie in Formula 1 racing. But Horner's point still stands that a driver has to go through a lot of tough work, and Marko's statements are just the beginning for them.

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Red Bull boss compares Marko to F1 legend Niki Lauda

Christian Horner has drawn a comparison between Dr. Helmut Marko and three-time F1 champion, Niki Lauda.

Horner believes that Marko is very similar to Lauda in terms of speech, and that is partly because both came from the same era. He believes that for this reason, Marko does not make things up while speaking and says what he feels, straightaway.

"He just calls it as he sees it. In many respects it's very similar to how Niki Lauda was, they come from the same generation and have the same makeup," Horner said.

Horner added that the Red Bull advisor is 80 and still watches all the races in Formula Racing. He gets as much data as he can, and keeps himself keen on racing. He is, in short, one of the most valuable members that Red Bull has.

"At 80 years of age he's still looking for purple sectors. He’s still watching every Formula 3 session, every F2 session, every split time and following the young talent religiously."

Dr. Helmut Marko has certainly played a key role in Red Bull's dominance this season as Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez occupy the top two positions in the driver standings.