Helmut Marko Reveals George Russell and Oscar Piastri Missed Out on Red Bull Academy “Due to Increased Competition”

Red Bull set up one of the first academies in Formula 1 through which the Milton Keynes outfit scouted and introduced a plethora of talent to the sport. However, all the other teams soon followed suit and according to Helmut Marko, this forced Red Bull to lose out on major talents like George Russell and Oscar Piastri.

During the 2000s it was only Red Bull who had a driver academy. Many young talents found their way into F1 through them. But with time, teams like Ferrari, Mercedes, and Renault all set up their own young driver programs. All these teams wanted to sign future world champions, which made things extremely difficult for Red Bull.

George Russell became a part of the Mercedes Young Driver’s Academy alongside names like Esteban Ocon and Pascal Wehrlein. As for Oscar Piastri, the Australian was a part of the Alpine Academy formerly known as the Renault Driver Academy.

Another thing that did not help Red Bull was the fact that their academy has always been full of top drivers. This led to many young talents trying to seek opportunities outside of the Red Bull system, because finding a way to the top with a team that was stacked, proved to be difficult.

Helmut Marko reflects on missed opportunities for Red Bull

Red Bull’s Chief Advisor Helmut Marko spoke to GPBlog about how other teams are snatching  young talents who would otherwise have been under the Red Bull family. He gave the example of George Russell and Oscar Piastri to back his claims.

Marko said, “Russell is an example. He’s in Mercedes. He finds a good one. Piastri [is another example].” However, Marko also made it clear that it is not their aim to take in anyone and everyone.

The Austrian explained, “We can’t take everyone. That’s also not our aim. You have to fit in terms of personality and character as well.” Marko also went on to reveal some other big names, who he tried to sign when they were young talents.

Red Bull’s planned Super Team idea

McLaren wonderboy Lando Norris was one of the drivers to be pursued by Red Bull. In an interview with German publication Auto Motor und Sport, Norris  revealed that he had talks with Red Bull before finally deciding to sign up with Woking-based outfit, McLaren.

Years later, with Norris proving his mettle on the biggest stage of motorsports with McLaren, Red Bull are reportedly going after Norris once again. The 23-year-old  is one of the main targets for Red Bull as they aim to build a superteam for 2025.