Helmut Marko has been the architect in Red Bull’s junior program since the team’s foundation. He has developed talents like Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel, who are considered legends of the sport. At the same time, Marko is known for his blunt and harsh comments on drivers when they don’t perform.
On the Nailing the Apex podcast, F1 expert Adam Wylde spoke about Marko’s habit of ‘dropping truth bombs’.
“When Helmut Marko speaks…this isn’t just [about] Daniel Ricciardo, it’s everybody…. He speaks in a menacing tone… It’s, ‘he better work on that, or he’s out’,” Wylde stated.
He added that when other team principals, coaches, or mentors talk about a driver’s performance, they offer words of encouragement. They talk about how they all improve together as a team. Marko, on the other hand, says something that ‘hurts’ or ‘discourages’ them.
Helmut Marko believes Daniel Ricciardo lost his “killer instinct” after he left Red Bull at the end of the 2018 #F1 season.
Here’s all Marko said about the departing RB driver ⬇️https://t.co/HXTNWB7PTt
— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) September 26, 2024
Wylde mentioned Daniel Ricciardo because the Honey Badger faced a lot of critical comments from Marko in the weeks and months leading up to his departure last week. Ricciardo had not been improving, and Marko, during his several interviews with the media, publicly put pressure on him.
Ricciardo ultimately lost his place at RB (Red Bull’s sister team) and has now left the sport. But the Aussie driver isn’t the only driver to be a victim of Marko’s ruthless judgment. Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, and Sergio Perez have all experienced this.
The only driver who hasn’t faced Marko’s harsh judgment is Verstappen, according to Wylde, who labeled him as ‘out of this world’.
