Max Verstappen has shared details about his relationship with Helmut Marko, the Chief Advisor of Red Bull. While Marko may have appeared strict to some of the Red Bull Academy juniors, Verstappen did not find him intimidating. Verstappen, who is now a three-time World Champion at the age of 26, credits his father’s intense training and the lessons learned from the Red Bull Junior Academy for his success. Despite the Academy’s reputation for being tough on young racers, Verstappen never found Marko to be scary.
Helmut Marko has been a part of Red Bull Racing for many years and has produced renowned racers like Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo. The Red Bull Junior Academy is often referred to as the Helmut Marko Academy for F1 racers. However, some drivers who graduated from the Academy have criticized Marko’s methods and the intense pressure they were put under.
Verstappen, on the other hand, does not agree with the notion that Marko was “brutal” in his approach. He claims to have never been afraid of the Austrian.
In the 2023 season, Red Bull’s RB23 demonstrated its superiority in terms of speed and performance, with Verstappen winning 19 out of the 22 races. Dutch racer Robin Frijns believes that Verstappen’s outstanding performance will continue in 2024, giving him a significant advantage once again.
Frijns, in an interview with Formule1.nl, mentioned that he keeps in touch with Sébastien Buemi, the RB simulator driver, who often works with Red Bull. According to Frijns, it seems that the team has made further improvements to the car.
In unrelated news, Verstappen has been live-streaming F1 videogame sessions on his Twitch channel during the winter break. He has also interacted with fans during these sessions. In one of these interactions, Verstappen made a humorous comment about football legend Cristiano Ronaldo’s lack of tattoos, debunking a popular myth.
According to the Source firstsportz.com