Dr. Helmut Marko who is now 81 years of age, is pat of the fabric of the Red Bull organisations Formula One racing teams, whilst having no official role and being employed by the parent company based in Austria.
It could have been expected since the death of his friend Didi Mateschitz who foundered the energy drinks empire, the Austrian of pensionable age would be retired and quietly leave the stage. This wold presumably have been the case but for one relationship Dr. Marko has cultivated with the four times world champion Max Verstappen.
As the metro of the Red Bull academy driver programme, Marko pinched Verstappen from under Mercedes nose, something which ton this days irks Toto Wolff. That relationship proved to be Dr. Marko’s saving grace last season when civil war broke out in the Red Bull parent company.
Marko under threat of the sack
It was suggested at the second round in Saudi Arabia last year, that Dr. Marko wold be excluded from the Red Bull entourage next time out in Australia, for his alleged part in leaking documents designed to make Christian Horner look like a sex pest. Horner was cleared of all allegations in both an independent investigation and at an appeal of the original findings of his innocence.
Following the suggestions of Marko’s suspension, Max Verstappen was dragged into the matter having previously remained above the fray. He implied under certain ‘remote’ circumstances he could leave the Red Bull team if he fell they failed to keep key personnel in place – is Dr. Marko.
Max then defended his position next time out in Australia speaking to Dutch publication, De Telgraf. “I think I did state clearly what I thought about it,” said Verstappen. “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.”
Dr. Marko was then handed a multi-year contract by the Austrian parent company to replace the one which would see him retire at the end of 2014. With Jos Verstappen regularly attacking the team’s ability to deliver Max with a car worthy of his skills throughout the year, Dr. Marko restricted his criticism mostly to Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda together with the occasional suggestions to th media that the RB20 had fallen behind their main rivals.
Hamilton speaks about the “risk” of Ferrari
Leclerc “makes too many mistakes”
The ageing Austrian was always at his feisty best during the years where Mercedes and Red Bull were key rivals. He together with Christian Horner would repeatedly lob hand grandees into the Mercedes camp in an effort to destabilise Toto Wolff and his drivers.
Now Dr. Marko is back to his best, but his sights are set on Lewis Hamilton and to some degree the Ferrari F1 team as well. German publication Bild reports today that Marko has little concern over the threat of Ferrari and Hamilton combined, even were Red Bull to create another inferior racing car to the Scuderia.
“Charles Leclerc is good at qualifying, but makes too many mistakes in the race,” Marko said. “Lewis Hamilton still has the speed, but also over a whole season? I doubt that.
“Even if he has a fast Ferrari and we only build a mediocre Red Bull for Max Verstappen, I would still put my money on Max,” is the conclusion of the Red Bull ‘advisor.’
To Hamilton, qualifying has been the key
To unpick Marko’s tightly packed and somewhat obscured observations, we must first turn to the importance of qualifying in an era when the F1 grid may be separated by less than a second in the first qualifying session. In the modern era, lewis Hamilton stands alone in terms of the number of pole positions he has claimed as a percentage of his total race starts.
Lewis record is 104 pole positions in 356 entries which gives a pole percentage rate of 29.21%. Granted this would have been much higher before the fall of the mighty Mercedes from their dominance of eight consecutive constructor titles. In fact remove his 69 last starts since the 2021 Abu Dhabi showdown and that percentage rises to 36.2% when Lewis was at the zenith of his powers.
As a quick aside Hamilton is no where near the highest percentage of poles to entries which goes to a certain Albert Ascari ,who raced during the dawn of F1 with a pole percentage of 56.77%. Next on the list is Jim Clarke with 45.21% followed by Ayrton Senna who racked up 65 poles in 162 entries with a rate of 40.12%.
Whilst Charles Leclerc may still feel like a new kid on the F1 block he will be entering his eighth season when the lights go out in Melbourne in a few weeks time. He has eight wins to his name but has never been in a car which has won a world championship.
Pole statistics reveal battle ahead
His pole statistics appear dramatic when compared to the paltry number of race wins, as he currently has a total of 26 poles from 149 entries – 17.5%.
Hamilton like Schumacher in his later years has lost that one lap searing pace which was for years his trademark. Whether he can recreate that form which is crucial in an era where overtaking is becoming more difficult each season as track position in many instances will decide roughly the finishing order in the race.
Dr. Marko is back on full Red Bull attack of their rivals as he continues and deals with the subject of Verstappen leaving the Red Bull racing team. The four times world champion has been linked with a move to Mercedes, as Toto Wolff trailed around the paddock in the wake of the Dutch driver last summer and more recently Aston Martin (due to the Newey connection) have been presented as Verstappen’s next natural home.
Max beats Hamilton in “mediocre” Red Bull car
“We are confident that we can provide Max with a good car,” Marko claims. “[Mercedes’ interest] is nice and all, but Max has a contract until the end of 2028.
“I know how loyal and grateful he is towards Red Bull. Therefore, he will also be a Red Bull driver in 2026, and a five-time world champion.”
We can forgive the lack of precision in Dr Marko’s English expression or even a vague translation as at first glance this appears to suggests Max will win just one more title in the next two seasons.
The point Dr. Marko is making there is no way anyone knows which team comes out on top after the huge rules changes in 2026, so Verstappen is unlikely to jump ship before then should he end up with egg on his face as Red Bull then romp to victory with their home made power unit in 2026.
Red Bull junior to ‘upset the mix’
Formula One’s Red Bull Racing are on the back foot for the first time since 2020. Their car was just the third quickest come the end of last season as McLaren and Ferrari surged ahead in the development race.
The team plan to address fundamental design issues with the platform of the RB20, which restricted in season development and created a false ceiling in terms of where the team could take the performance of their 2024 challenger.
Of course with Adrian Newey not influencing the first Red Bull F1 car design since 2005, F1analysts will be quick to judge the efforts of the technical team in Milton Keynes headed up by technical director Pierre Wache. Yet in a bizarre twist of fate, it was the Newey designed suspension which trounced the field when the new grind effect car design rules were implemented in 2022 which caused Red Bull their biggest difficulties last year… READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
