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Max Verstappen's quest to become an F1 world champion was fueled greatly by Red Bull's 'no risk, no fun' mentality, according to Dr. Helmut Marko.
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Marko is a former Austrian racecar driver who is currently an advisor for Red Bull. He has also been the person guiding Red Bull's junior driver program over the years.
In a book called Formula Max published by motorsport.com in The Netherlands, Marko said:
“...My plan to sign him [Max Verstappen] and put him into Formula 1 straight away wasn’t to outdo Mercedes. It was simply because I saw that he was ready for Formula 1 and that turned out to be the case. I would say in general: Red Bull is different compared to Mercedes, we have much more of a ‘no risk, no fun’ mentality.”
Red Bull and Mercedes had both been trying to sign the Dutchman in his junior career. Marko believes Verstappen knew the road to F1 would be longer if he went with the Silver Arrows.
Verstappen was fast-tracked to the pinnacle of motorsport towards the end of the 2014 season in a move that many in the F1 community felt was premature. Marko, however, took what he called a 'calculated risk' in promoting the then-teenage Dutchman. The rest is history.
Max Verstappen is a 'human sensor,' claims Honda boss Toyoharu Tanabe
Dr. Helmut Marko is not the only person impressed by Max Verstappen's brilliance in F1. Honda F1's chief technical officer Toyoharu Tanabe called the 24-year-old a 'human sensor' and lauded his instincts that were vital during development.
During an interview with RacingNews365, Tanabe had this to say about Verstappen:
“I think he [Max Verstappen] has a talent, he has a skill, to drive the car fast. Not only fast, but also as a kind of sensor, a human sensor; he is very sensitive and the feedback is very precise. For the engine condition, he realizes very small sounds or feelings – he could tell us very small things. His feedback and kind of testing was very useful for us.”
Verstappen brought Honda its first F1 title in three decades, following in the footsteps of Brazilian legend Ayrton Senna, who won the title with McLaren in 1991.
The Dutchman also broke the record for most podiums in a single F1 season with the help of the Japanese manufacturers.
