Max Verstappen vs Sebastian Vettel: Helmut Marko shares how the two Red Bull champions were similar and dissimilar

Red Bull director Helmut Marko shared an interesting comparison between Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, as he said that the Dutch driver was more natural while the German was more methodical in his approach. Red Bull has achieved an insane amount of success with both Vettel and Verstappen, and in its 20-year history, these are the two who have become champions.

Sebastian Vettel was the driver who got Red Bull's first win in 2009 in China. It was with the German that the team had its first title battle, and it was the young Sebastian who became the youngest F1 world champion in the history of the sport.

The won four consecutive titles with Sebastian Vettel from 2010 to 2013, and during this time it broke multiple records. Max Verstappen joined the team in 2016 and won his very first race with Red Bull. The Dutch driver has already won three titles and is on his way to winning the fourth one.

In an interview with Grandprix247, Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko was questioned on the similarities and dissimilarities between the two drivers, and the Austrian said that in terms of driving, the two are quite dissimilar, as Max Verstappen is more natural while Sebastian Vettel needed a lot more technical feedback to get the result. He said,

“Each driver is different you know and we don’t really compare. But Seb is a driver who works into each detail and needs a lot of technical feedback before he goes fast. But once he has everything under control, yeah, he’s delivering."

He added,

“Max is a more natural driver. He just jumps in the car and is quick. Max is just about racing. You know, after a Grand Prix. He jumps on his sim racing seat, which is very difficult for me to understand but he likes it. He’s also very interested in sports. Max knows a lot about football, he’s completely focused on the sports world and the sports personalities."

Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel similar in how they live their lives

Talking about the similarity between the two drivers, Helmut Marko said that both Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen just want to live their own lives. Vettel is notorious for not sharing what goes on in his life. He's always made a point of being very secretive when it comes to this.

Max Verstappen as well is not very social and tends to keep a very low profile on his part. Talking about the similarity between the two, Marko said,

“Both Seb and Max have their own opinion and are not shy to speak out. Seb like Max, just wants to have the best car and he lives his own life. But the commitment of Max is so unbelievable. The greatest advantage of Max is he doesn’t need any warm-up.”

By the end of the season, Max Verstappen is highly likely to be a four-time world champion, equaling Sebastian Vettel's record. It will be very interesting to see if he can better it in 2025.