Verstappen Explains His Close Relationship With Marko: 'Like Second Father'

Saturday, 11 January 2025 at 20:03

Max Verstappen gave insight into his close relationship with Helmut Marko, suggesting it feels like he is his "second father."

Many F1 fans had no idea how close Max Verstappen and Helmut Marko were until the Dutchman threatened to leave Red Bull (in 2024) if the 81-year-old was kicked out.

Marko is Red Bull's motorsport advisor whose role is mainly to oversee capturing and development of the young talent at Red Bull's Academy.

The relationship between Verstappen and Marko started casually, like that of every F1 boss and young driver they bring on the team, but over the years, it got stronger and stronger through big lows and incredible highs.

Marko played an essential role in signing the young Dutchman to race for Toro Rosso (now known as Racing Bulls) and later promoting him to Red Bull Racing. Speaking to RacingNews365, Max Verstappen said:

"Helmut gave me the opportunity to start in F1 and then also in moving me to the main team."

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"We have lived a lot of positive and bad moments and of course, tough moment, but our relationship as grown over the years and it is very special for me. Helmut is my biggest fan."

Helmut Marko is known to be very strict and tough on the juniors some of whom might even fear any time they get a call from Red Bull's motorsport advisor, but the Dutchman never had a problem with that.

As their relationship developed throughout the years, the four-time world champion says he stopped seeing Marko as a boss but rather as his second father.

"I don't even see him like my boss anymore, it is like he is a second father. You can say anything to him and we are very straight and we share strong opinions to each other."

"Of course, if I make a mistake, he tells me and I like that. Even in 2024, you go through tough moments, and then you have chats with him and it is like: 'Wow.' He is 82 years old, but his mind is very focused and he has so much racing experience."