Daniel Ricciardo was one of the many prodigies that Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko helped nurture over the years. Since Marko is very strict, Red Bull drivers of the past have often joked about how they hesitated to answer the Austrian’s calls. Now, Ricciardo too has confessed that he would at times lie to Marko.
“If you miss a call with Helmut, when you call back, it’s never’ I just got out of bed’. It’s always ‘I just finished a two-hour cycle or I was training’”, replied Ricciardo on the Talking Bull podcast when asked about the most memorable moment he had while being in the Red Bull family.
Ricciardo was then asked about the time Marko usually called him. He replied, “Early enough that you’re still in bed.” The 35-year-old then cheekily added, “But according to him, you’re not in bed.”
Ricciardo is not the only driver that Marko has helped mentor. Most of the racers that drove for Red Bull joined the team when they were very young.
And almost all the drivers, including Ricciardo, have the same opinion that while Marko was harsh in his ways, it were the same methods that helped them become better drivers. Therefore, Ricciardo said on the Talking Bull podcast that when he looks back at Marko’s mentorship, he wouldn’t change a thing.
Verstappen also once confessed to ignoring Marko’s early morning calls
During an F1 Truth or Lie video, both Verstappen and Ricciardo were asked if they ever ignored calls from their team bosses. Both of them confessed that they did.
Verstappen went on to explain how Marko would call him at absurd times at like 8 AM. Hence, the Dutchman decided against picking up those calls and went back to sleep.
During the same video, both Verstappen and Ricciardo revealed how they often lied to Marko when they received these early morning calls from him. Ricciardo revealed that he would often tell Marko that he was “at the gym” or was “training” to avoid receiving more calls from the Austrian.
