Former Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has revealed that Christian Horner was against the idea of promoting a young Max Verstappen to the senior Formula 1 team.
Verstappen has undeniably been the strongest driver of the last decade. That said, his debut was dogged by both, awe and criticism.
At just 17, the Dutchman was sat on the grid for his F1 debut at the season-opening race of the 2015 season at the Albert Park Circuit for Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls).
Just a year later, against all odds and logic, Verstappen was strapped into the senior Red Bull team, only three races into 2016, at the Spanish GP.
And while it seemed like everyone at the Milton-Keynes-based team had already seen the talent that subsequently four consecutive F1 titles have proven, Marko has revealed not all were onboard to promote Verstappen.
“Max’s teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. was very disappointed that we did not choose him,” he told De Telegraaf. “But for us it was a clear and simple decision.
“Team principal Christian Horner did not agree with promoting Max after only four races in 2016, he was against it. Just like many rivals and critics attacked me and said Max was far too young and that this was a dangerous move.”
How Max Verstappen vindicated Red Bull promotion decision
The 2016 Spanish GP will forever be a classic F1 race for the ages. But this isn’t just because of that infamous crash between Mercedes team-mates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg that almost cost them their race seats.
The race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya saw Verstappen become the youngest-ever Grand Prix winner at just 18 years and 228 days.
The Mercedes Turn 4 wipeout saw Verstappen assume the lead, thwart Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and take the chequered flag in first – all on his Red Bull debut.
“It was an unbelievable race. That Mercedes crash was of course a bit lucky, but after that Max immediately showed his class,” Marko recalled.
“He was faster than teammate Ricciardo and in the closing stages Kimi Raikkonen spent lap after lap within a second behind him.
“Even though Kimi was faster on the straights, he could not overtake Max because he drove in such a smart and mature way. Even Jos and Max’s manager Raymond Vermeulen could hardly believe it.
“For me personally, and also for Dietrich, it was an enormous relief. People thought we were crazy, but now we could silence all the critics.”
10 years on, Verstappen is arguably the man to beat. But after losing out on his fifth-consecutive title to Lando Norris by just two points, last year, and a pretty uncompetitive RB22 at the moment, the tide is certainly against the 28-year-old.
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