Red Bull taskmaster explains his relationship with 4-time F1 champion Max Verstappen

Red Bull team advisor Helmut Marko said he wouldn't call himself Max Verstappen's 'second father' but admitted to having a deep bond with the Dutchman. Marko was crucial in introducing the Verstappen to the grid in 2015.

The Austrian signed Verstappen into its driver program in 2014 and offered him a full-time race seat with Toro Rosso the following year, despite him having only one year of experience in Formula 3. The 81-year-old had to act quickly, given Max Verstappen had garnered interest from all corners of the paddock, including Mercedes.

However, the risk of putting a 17-year-old in an F1 car paid off as the young star graduated to Red Bull in the middle of 2016 and won in his first race with the team. Verstappen went on to win four consecutive driver's championships with the Milton-Keynes outfit from 2021 to 2024 and led them back to glory ending Mercedes's dominance.

Speaking with Formula 1 Magazine last week, Marko reflected on his relationship with Max Verstappen and said (as quoted by GP Blog):

"Max's successes actually masked the problems we had with the car. Although our car was not the fastest, second fastest, or third fastest, he always made the most of it. Max improved himself again. Whether I am his second father? Haha, 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 at the time. Normally in such a conversation, I talk to a young driver for 10 to 15 minutes. With Max, it was more than an hour," he added.

Max Verstappen, too, admires and respects Helmut Marko, as evident in his comments last year amid the well-documented power struggle within the team.

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When Max Verstappen pledged his loyalty to Helmut Marko

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen revealed that he would only stay with the Austrian team if Marko stayed with the outfit. The Austrian veteran had found himself embroiled in a power struggle with Christian Horner and the Red Bull brand hierarchy in early 2024.

Speaking to the media in Saudi Arabia last year, Verstappen said (via Motorsportweek):

“I’ve always expressed this to everyone within the team, everyone high up, that he’s an important part in my decision-making for all the time in the future as well within the team."

He later clarified his comments to de Telegraaf several months later, saying:

“I think I did state clearly what I thought about it. I also think it was important that I said that at the time. And I meant it too. It wasn’t a bluff. And they know that within the team too.”

Both Max Verstappen and Helmut Marko have committed themselves long-term to Red Bull with the former's contract ending in 2028. Despite the team undergoing internal controversies, the 27-year-old was able to secure his fourth successive driver's championship in 2024 by successfully thwarting the challenge from McLaren driver Lando Norris.

However, Red Bull was not able to get the same result as they lost their grip over the Constructors title, finishing P3 behind the Woking-based outfit and Ferrari.