Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has praised right-hand man and advisor Helmut Marko for his ‘ruthless’ behind-the-scenes management.
As Red Bull’s chief talent scout, Marko has played an instrumental role in the vast success the Austrian outfit has endured since entering Formula 1 in 2005.
Most notably he was behind Max Verstappen’s jump from Formula 3 to Formula 1 with Toro Rosso in 2015. Just one year later, the then 18-year-old found himself in the main Red Bull team, winning on his debut with the team and he is now closing in on a third consecutive World Championship.
However, Marko has often been criticised for operating the two Red Bull-owned team F1 teams under somewhat of a revolving door policy, with the hardwired Austrian not being afraid to dismiss many a driver that has failed to meet his lofty standards.
After just 10 races in the 2023 F1 season, Nyck de Vries was dismissed from his AlphaTauri drive, joining the long list of rejected Red Bull candidates in recent years.
Speaking on ESPN’s Unlapped Podcast, Horner discussed how important Marko’s ruthlessness is to Red Bull’s operation.
“He’s a tough operator with the junior drivers but if they can’t survive Helmut, they’ll never survive F1,” Horner said.
“He’s a communication manager’s nightmare. So when Helmut goes rogue, then you guys only have to prod him and you’ll get a headline.
“But he just calls it as he sees it. In many respects it’s very similar to how Niki Lauda was, they come from the same generation and have the same makeup.
“At 80 years of age he’s still looking for purple sectors.”
Despite his age and rumours of stepping aside, Marko remains constantly on the lookout for the next talent to further Red Bull’s success in F1.
“He’s still watching every Formula 3 session, every F2 session, every split time and following the young talent religiously,” Horner added.
“I’ve always had a very straightforward and good relationship with him.”
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