Helmut Marko

Helmut Marko is an Austrian former professional racing driver and an advisor to the Red Bull Racing F1 team competing in the 2023 Formula One World Championship.

Helmut Marko was born on April 27, 1943, in MontGraz, Austria. He is a figure in Formula One. Marko is known for sharing his blunt and honest opinions and can often stir up controversy in the paddock. However, Marko is a renowned professional racing driver whose career began in the 1960s.

The Austrian started his career in hillclimbing events. He later moved on to circuit racing and showed great talent and driving skills. Marko competed in 10 Formula One Grand Prix races in seasons 1971 and 1972.

During the year 1971, Marko competed in 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside Gijs van Lennep. The duo ended up winning the prestigious race, driving Martini-Porsche 917K and setting a record that would remain unbroken until the 2010 season.

However, Marko’s career ended after the 1972 French Grand Prix accident at Clermont-Ferrand. During this race, a stone was thrown up into the air by a car driving ahead of Marko, consequently piercing his helmet and permanently blinding his left eye.

Despite that, Marko did not lose his passion for motorsport, and in 1989, he founded the RSM Marko racing team. RSM Marko competed in the Formula 3 and Formula 3000 series and finished runner-up in 1996 and 1997 before being renamed Red Bull Junior Team 1999.

Since 2006, Helmut Marko has held an advisory role in Red Bull Racing and Scuderi Toro Rosso (now known as AlphaTauri). He has also played a significant role in the Red Bull driver development program.

This program has brought up successful drivers like Sebastian Vettel, Carlos Sainz Jr., Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, and Max Verstappen.