F1 News
Helmut Marko pleads for more young talent: 'Some men are blocking the way'
- Tygo Bekkema
Red Bull has long been praised for its successful junior programme. In doing so, the Austrian racing stable has already raised quite a few drivers, including Max Verstappen. In his column for Speedweek, Helmut Marko praises today's Red Bull juniors and the Austrian hopes that more young talents will move on to the premier class of motorsport in the future.
Isack Hadjar and Arvid Lindblad are creating a furore in Formula 2 and Formula 3 respectively. Marko is delighted with the youthful Red Bull drivers. "Hadjar took the lead in the Formula 2 championship with his victory in the main race at Silverstone. We must not forget that he was also unlucky several times, otherwise he would have been miles ahead by now. Lindblad, who went straight from F4 to F3 as a rookie is also impressing. He is only 16 and we are happy that 17-year-olds can now be admitted to F1 as well, but we remain calm."
Red Bull-racing's external adviser therefore foresees a bright future for the juniors. "Isack and Arvid are fast and have extremely good qualities, they have skills worthy of Formula 1. Not to mention Ayumu Iwasa, who is currently second in the Super Formula championship."
Marko happy with Bearman's arrival
Oliver Bearman is one of the youngsters making the switch from Formula 2 to Formula 1 next year. The Briton will race on behalf of Haas F1 team. Marko is happy that that kind of talent will be given space. "Oliver Bearman was in the right place at the right time. If you look at his results in Formula 2, it looks much less for him. But he put himself in the spotlight during his Formula 1 debut. It is good that young people keep coming to Formula 1. I won't name names, but there are some guys who block the way for talents. Teams are also often afraid of juniors because they can make mistakes. But I'd rather they make mistakes than have no chance to improve."