"I still do this work for two reasons: one is Max Verstappen" - Helmut Marko shares rare emotional side

Red Bull's Helmut Marko, in a rare emotional moment, has shared that one of the two reasons why he's still involved in F1 is Max Verstappen. The Austrian has developed a close relationship with the Dutch family ever since the young driver first made his debut in the sport in 2015.

Verstappen was a name that turned heads in the karting circuit, and from a very young age, he was being pursued by multiple F1 teams, including Red Bull and Mercedes. In his first season, when he graduated from karting to car racing, the driver impressed everyone, and it was from that point that he had both Helmut Marko on one side and Toto Wolff on the other, pursuing him.

It was in 2014 that Max Verstappen and his father, Jos Verstappen, took the call to join the Red Bull driver academy and not the Mercedes Academy. From that point onwards, the relationship between Helmut Marko and the Verstappen family has continued to get better. This became even more evident in 2024 when Verstappen drew the line on rumors of Marko potentially getting axed from the outfit.

The Dutch driver explicitly made it clear that his association with Red Bull hinged on Helmut Marko being a part of the squad as well. Talking to Formula1.NL, Marko also admitted that the way he felt connected with Max Verstappen, he hasn't with any other. He even claimed that one of the reasons why he still continues to be a part of F1 is the Dutch driver.

Murko said:

"I have never felt so connected to a driver, and I admit that directly. Whether I am his second father, you won't hear me say that. Look, I don't know how long I have been working in this sport. What I do know is the first time I had a serious conversation with Max, he was 13."

He added:

"Normally in such a conversation, I talk to a young driver for 10 to 15 minutes. With Max, it was more than an hour. I still do this work for two reasons: one is Max."

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Helmut Marko on how Max Verstappen embodies Red Bull

Marko opened up further as he said that the other reason why he continues to do the job is to preserve the spirit of Red Bull and Dietrich Mateschitz. Talking about how Dietrich often said that the team never buy stars but makes them, Helmut pointed at Max Verstappen as the perfect example of it.

He said:

"The other is to guard the spirit of Red Bull and Dietrich Mateschitz in the race team, at least I try to, because there is no one who can really replace Mateschitz, of course. As for Max, he is a great talent and a special person. He is everything Red Bull stands for."

He added:

"Mateschitz used to say: we don't buy stars, we make stars. Max is the perfect example of that: direct, approachable and a great sportsman. It's great to work with someone like that. I have never felt so close to a driver before, although with Sebastian, I was also very close."

Max Verstappen has often reiterated that his future with Red Bull is often hinged on whether Helmut Marko is a part of the squad or not. It certainly casts a shadow on the future of the Dutch driver with the team and how his relationship evolves as well.