Helmut Marko had the last laugh when Max Verstappen’s reaction was discussed | F1 | Sport

Helmut Marko had the last laugh, despite ever receiving a response Max Verstappen are too young to race in Formula 1. The Red Bull The boss dismissed claims that throwing a teenage Verstappen into the deep end would be “dangerous”, saying it was “a satisfaction” to see the Dutchman enjoy immediate success.

It’s hard to believe that Verstappen started his F1 journey ten years ago. At the age of 27, he has won four world championships, having sealed his latest victory with a fifth-place finish at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Sunday.

The prodigious racing talent was signed by Toro Rosso in 2015 on behalf of Marko – the head of Red Bull‘s driver development program – becoming the youngest driver in F1 history at the time (17). As the son of former F1 driver Jos Verstappen, it didn’t take long before Max showed that he was more than up to the task. He finished twelfth in the Drivers’ Championship, ahead of legends such as Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button.

Marko quickly promoted him to the parent team Red Bull Racing during the 2016 season, where he won his debut race in Spain. In doing so he destroyed another record and became F1’s youngest Grand Prix winner at 18 years and 227 days old, simultaneously beating Marko to glory.

Speaking about his decision to throw the Dutchman into an F1 seat in Viaplay’s Max Verstappen: Anatomy of a Champion documentary – which is available to stream via Amazon Prime from today (November 25) – the 81-year-old Austrian said: ” We were informed that Jos is pushing and training young Max. He was willing and hungry to learn. That already impressed me.

“The drivers in our junior teams are between 19 and 20 years old and Max was 16 years old. So when it was announced that he would be driving a Formula 1 car, we got so many negative reactions.

“They said, ‘such a young guy, he can’t do it, it’s dangerous’ and blah, blah, blah. I said, ‘I think Max is ready, so let’s see how far we can go.’

“He was immediately competitive Red Bull Racing and we know what happened (winning on his debut). Max was on his way upstairs. It was a satisfaction for me.” Marko certainly had the last laugh as Verstappen proved he is one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time in his short career to date.

Verstappen won his first title in 2021 by overtaking championship rival and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton on the last lap of the last race in Abu Dhabi. He easily won his next two championships in 2022 and 2023 and fended off a challenge from Lando Norris to secure the title this season with eight Grand Prix victories, including a breathtaking wet-weather performance in Brazil.

Max Verstappen: Anatomy of a Champion can be streamed on Viaplay via Amazon Prime from November 25