Red Bull's Helmut Marko praises Max

Published on 25 September 2014 by Stefan Meens

Dr. Helmut Marko, advisor to Red Bull Racing and head of the Red Bull Junior Team, has praised Max Verstappen on the official Formula 1 website. Asked if he could compare Max to any other driver, the Austrian answered: “Most likely Ayrton Senna. He is an exceptional talent that comes along only once in decades…”

Marko continues by explaining why Max' age is not an issue ahead of the Dutchman's rookie F1 season: “He has been talking with people who are experts when it comes to the development of youngsters and they all say that (in terms of) his mind he is more like 22 than 16. And regarding his skills behind the steering wheel, he has been racing since he was four years old - professionally. So we expect him to be competitive from the first race. We are not playing the lottery - we know what we are doing. And success proves us right.”

The Red Bull Junior chief emphasised Max will not need any extra attention compared to drivers that are older than the Dutchman. “Mentally he is past 20 years old! And yes, we work with him intensively. He will do some Friday runs. Not long ago he did a 400 km test in Italy, he’s in the simulator whenever possible and he’s working on his physique and psychology with top experts. Yes, some things became visible that we will have to address for the 2015 season. Having said that, he is getting the perfect ‘schooling’ before he gets on the grid.”