“We knew he was talking to Mercedes” – Red Bull boss Helmut Marko beams with pride as he uncovers the story of them signing Max Verstappen over Mercedes.
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen’s journey to superstardom started with him impressing in karting and F3, before being snapped by the ambitious Red Bull family.
How was Max Verstappen signed by Red Bull?
Mercedes were eager to have the Dutchman in their ranks, but unlike Red Bull, weren’t keen on offering him an immediate ride in Formula 1.
Red Bull won this ‘battle’, but Red Bull boss Helmut Marko says it was not one in the first place, as their intent to sign Verstappen was due to his immense talent, and not to get one over bitter rivals Mercedes.
“Of course we knew he was talking to Mercedes, but Max certainly wouldn’t have gotten into Formula 1 so quickly at Mercedes.
“They weren’t willing to take a lot of risk with a newcomer and we were. Red Bull is also different as a company, we are more of the ‘no risk, no fun’ mentality. You can see that perfectly in Max.
“But our move was not so much to trump Mercedes, it was mainly because I was one hundred percent convinced that Max was ready for Formula 1. That also became apparent afterwards and I have to say: we handled it thoroughly in terms of preparation.
“We gave him as many test days as possible within the regulations and also deliberately planned his first training at Suzuka.
“For young drivers it is one of the most difficult circuits of the entire calendar and it immediately gave us a great opportunity to see how Max would perform in difficult conditions.
“All in all, it was a sound plan.”
