Marko judges Verstappen's evolution since his debut

Accustomed to unearthing young talents for Red Bull en Formula 1, Helmut Marko was not mistaken with Max Verstappen. Quickly integrated into the Junior Team, the Dutchman was promoted to F1 in 2015 within the sister team Toro Rosso (now renamed AlphaTauri) when he was only 17 years old.

Since then, the Batavian has continued to progress with a promotion to Red Bull from the 4^e Grand Prix (Spain) in 2016 before a first world champion title in 2021 at the end of a season full of twists and turns and an oh-so-close duel with Lewis Hamilton. But to achieve this, the road was long for Max Verstappen who had to work particularly on a personal level.

Often singled out by some of his peers for his maneuvers on the track and capable of certain outbursts of anger, the protégé of the Red Bull clan has strived to work on his approach and his image. Efforts which have borne fruit and are today praised internally.

« At 24 years old, he already shows great maturity even if it is not obvious., recognizes Helmut Marko in the columns of the Red Bulletin. Previously, he would lose his cool at the slightest technical problem in training. Today, he remains imperturbable. And he remained supportive of the team even in the years when we knew the title was out of reach.

But like other champions, what characterizes him is his total concentration, which can sometimes be confused with a lack of consideration. But he only says one thing to himself: “I want to win and I’m doing everything to do so.” »

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