Max Verstappen‘s record shattering rise has changed Formula One forever, but the man who helped give him his debut says the Dutchman has reshaped both ends of the racing pyramid.
Helmut Marko, famed as the godfather of Red Bull’s driver programme, is always on the lookout for the company’s next superstar driver. The Austrian played a pivotal role in making sure Verstappen made his F1 debut in 2015 wearing the colours of Red Bull junior team Toro Rosso (now RB), and not Mercedes.
Marko notices Verstappen’s legacy whenever he goes to a karting track to scout for the next generation of world beaters.
“People always say, ‘Oh, the Verstappen example,’ but it’s changed a lot,” Marko told ESPN about today’s emerging karting talent. “Now everyone believes ‘My son is the new Verstappen, I just have to follow the concept and it will go there.’
“Before Verstappen, when it was raining at the go-kart track, everyone went to the cafeteria. When Max first became a champion [in karting], everyone noticed when it rained there was only one driver outside: it was Verstappen.
“Now it’s the opposite. No one is in the cafeteria when it’s raining.”
Verstappen skipped both of F1’s then-feeder categories GP3 and GP2 (now Formula 3 and Formula 2), before making his debut with the Red Bull junior team. At the age of 17, he became F1’s youngest driver and the following season became its youngest winner. He turns 28 at the end of September and looks likely to round out the year with a fourth straight world championship.
He is a rare exception, though, one difficult to imitate.
“People believe they can do what Max did if they copy it, but we are not looking for a new Verstappen,” Marko said. “We are looking for a new world champion. We didn’t look when [Sebastian] Vettel left us for a new Vettel. We saw Max and immediately I thought, ‘That’s a guy we want to work with.’
“We made a calculation every year, at least 1,000 young drivers are starting in karting. If you are lucky, on average one goes to Formula One. Only if you are lucky. So you see selection is hard and very tough. The chances to make it is relatively slim.”
Despite the difficult odds, Red Bull has been the most prolific company at promoting young talent through the ranks up to F1. Verstappen followed in the footsteps of Vettel, who rose up the pyramid as a Red Bull junior driver to win four straight titles with the team. On the current grid, Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly are all…
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