Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has found the potential successor to Max Verstappen within the Milton Keynes-based Formula 1 squad’s Junior Programme, 13-year-old Dutchman Rocco Coronel.
Verstappen was earmarked by Marko as a potential F1 great and placed into the Red Bull-owned Toro Rosso squad at just 17 years of age in 2015.
Nine years later, the rewards of that gamble have paid off, with the Dutchman fighting for his fourth consecutive F1 Drivers’ title.
Coronel – son of Dutch racer Tom who has raced across Le Mans, Touring Cars and the Dakar Rally – is now on Marko’s radar and in the Red Bull Junior Programme.
“We were very surprised by Rocco,” Marko said following a test that granted the teenager his place in the Red Bull Junior Programme (via GPBlog).
“He is 13 years old, so he was younger than Max when we started with him. There were several good drivers, but for his age, Rocco Coronel was definitely exceptional.”
Marko noticed several similarities between Coronel and Verstappen, from temperament to the tutelage they’ve received from their fathers.
“[Rocco] is quite mature,” Marko explained.
“He has self-confidence, and also has a pretty dominant father, it seems, in the Netherlands.
“But then his father stopped talking, and he [Rocco] told more about himself.
“I’m impressed with how he keeps the balance between racing and school. So I’m sure that if Max ever quits, we might already have his successor in place.”
When will Max Verstappen leave F1?
Verstappen is currently contracted through Red Bull until the 2028 season, but there is no guarantee he will see out this contract, or even remain in the sport for that long.
The Dutchman has already claimed his next move will be his “last” in F1, be it a retirement, team switch, or commitment to Red Bull.
After achieving 200 GPs in F1 at his home Grand Prix at Zandvoort, Verstappen confirmed he had no interest in reaching 400 Grands Prix.
Moreover, a recent row with the FIA over swearing in a press conference led to the Dutchman threatening to quit the sport altogether.
Such is the cloud lingering over Verstappen’s future, a successor is no bad thing for Marko and Red Bull to have in the Junior Programme.
At just 13, Coronel experienced a Formula 4 and Formula 3 car during his Red Bull test, which impressed his father Tom.
“The great thing was that Rocco drove a Formula 4 car for a day,” Coronel Sr said.
“That went so well that they put him in a GP3 car the next day. It’s actually bizarre for a thirteen-year-old boy.
“But the great thing is that he’s very relaxed about it. I also try to play everything down a bit.
“It also ensures that he’s never nervous or very impressed by anything. Not even during that test.”
READ MORE: Helmut Marko admits ‘the danger is there’ that Max Verstappen could leave Red Bull
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