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Helmut Marko: Norisring 2014 convinced me to sign Verstappen

Writer's picture: Andrew ZarbAndrew Zarb


At 17 years old, many youngsters tend to be in College to further their studies in various areas, e.g. Accountancy, Law, etc. Also, the lifestyle out of school tends to be getting into girls, going out to clubs, drinking (and maybe getting a little bit too drunk - I personally have friends who tend to go out in the night and drink quite a lot).

However, one kid made his Formula 1 (which is the pinnacle of Motorsport - at least in my opinion) debut at his age. His name is Max Verstappen, and was signed to the Red Bull Junior Team, whilst less than a week later it was announced that he would be taking part in Formula 1 in the 2015 season for Scuderia Toro Rosso, Red Bull Racing's so-called "junior team". But what convinced the head of the Red Bull Junior Programme to sign him up? Verstappen, aged 16, made his Formula 3 debut in the 2014 season, after making the rather big jump up from karting. On one particular race in Norisring, Germany, a certain Helmut Marko was watching, and quite liked what he saw.

"We had been in contact with Max and Jos Verstappen for quite a while. It was a surprise how quickly he adapted to Formula 3 and the moment where I thought that something really special was at Norisring, when he was in mixed conditions - it was more wet than dry - per lap two seconds and more quicker than anybody else." Marko said. (This interview dates back to 2014)

To be so much quicker in a wet race for me shows that a driver boasts talent which is almost exceptional and very few are as confident. It's also suggested that wet races define a good and a great driver.

"I think he has unbelievable speed, he is for his age very mature, and he is a hard worker, so he has all the necessary ingredients you need to be an absolute champion. I think nearly every top Formula 1 team was in one way or another behind Max, but why we are announcing it in the middle of the season is to put an end to all the speculations, to give him a really good preparation for next year, and also on the other hand, eight races left for Jean-Eric Vergne, so he can make a good impression by having some really good results so it will help him in his further Formula 1 [career]." added Marko.

And in August of 2014, during Formula 1's traditional summer break, it was announced that a certain Max Verstappen would be driving for the Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2015, beating off competition from the likes of Mercedes who were keen on signing the Dutchman. This shocked nearly everybody who follows Formula 1 or heard the headline. He took part in three Formula 1 practice sessions in Japan, the USA and Brazil towards the end of 2014.

Marko continued: "I would say we are a little bit spoiled by what we have seen from him, who came with nearly no testing into Formula 1, as everybody knows we had problems from the engine side, and he immediately got in the points at the first race, so I think we expect similar things from Max.

He will be 17 when he will have his first race which is pretty young, but he proved in various races that he can use his head, I had quite a few conversations with him, and you see how mature he is and I don't think it's a risk. Toro Rosso is well known for educate[ing] and train[ing] young drivers, so he comes into an environment and with all the possibilities which are around the Red Bull family, I think he goes well-prepared into the season and we can't see any risk."

This decision, controversial as it may have been at the time, has certainly paid off. He impressed immediately, and on his debut was running in the points until he was cruelly denied thanks to a retirement through no fault of his own (it was a technical issue). He scored points in the next race in Malaysia, and racked up a total of 49 points during 2015, and notably finished fourth twice (in Hungary in what was a dramatic and chaotic race, and in the USA in relatively changeable conditions). In 2016, he was with Toro Rosso once again, and had scored 13 points in his first four races, notably finishing sixth in Bahrain.

After the fourth race of the season in Russia, to many people's surprise (including mine), it was announced that he was promoted to Red Bull Racing, replacing Daniil Kvyat who had been struggling and in Russia slammed into the back of Sebastian Vettel twice. He made his debut in the next race in Spain for the team, and against arguably all the odds won the race (or be it he was helpd slightly by both Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg retiring following a collision - but still, he held off Kimi Raikkonen beautifully, and you would have thought that he had been in Formula 1 for 20 years, not 1 and a bit). His wet-weather drive in Brazil also should be noted, particularly the last 20 laps of the race, where he was running in 14th place after making a pit stop under the safety car to switch onto the wet tyres, he charged through the field with some absolutely stunning overtakes, and finished in third place.

Verstappen will now be turning 20 in September, but given his exploits in Formula 1, you'd think he's been there for 20 years. Verstappen is a world champion in the making, and if given the tools he will surely become a multiple World Champion.


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