Birthday boy Marko hopes that Verstappen succeeds in his big mission!
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- GPblog.com
Helmut Marko's birthday is already blowing out 77 candles on Monday. The Red Bull Racing advisor has been active in Formula 1 for years, but doesn't know how to stop for the time being. The 76-year old man from Graz will not leave the royal class of motor racing anyway until he has succeeded in his big mission: to make Max Verstappen the youngest world champion ever!
Marko and Toto Wolff, among others, were present at the Norisring when Verstappen was able to make a strong impression during a rained-out race in 2014. The Austrian knew enough after just one weekend and was convinced of the qualities of the Dutch driver. Marko didn't know how fast he had to start the conversation with the camp of Verstappen.
A sixteen year old spoke to Verstappen for over an hour and a half, while Marko says 'normally twenty minutes is enough'. Marko could only draw one conclusion after the conversation: Verstappen has a mind that is three to five years more advanced than his contemporaries. Marko was bold, came up with a good contract in no time and trumped Wolff and Mercedes with it.
Red Bull Racing and Marko have guts
Why did Verstappen choose Red Bull and not Mercedes, a perhaps even bigger name? Quite simple: Marko had the guts to promise Verstappen that a year later (in 2015) he would have a fixed seat at Toro Rosso in the king's class of motorsport at the age of seventeen. Other teams like Mercedes and Ferrari couldn't compete with that offer from Marko and Red Bull.
It turned out to be a golden move. Verstappen will be the future world champion and last season he has shown that he can push Red Bull to a higher level on his own. Can Verstappen pay off the confidence of the talent scout for the umpteenth time in 2020 by fulfilling Marko's greatest wish: to take the World Championship title and become the youngest Formula 1 world champion ever?