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Red Bull F1 team advisor Helmut Marko revealed the team did have knowledge of Mercedes speaking with Max Verstappen. However, the Austrian talent scout believed the Silver Arrows would not have risked hiring the Dutchman when due to his age.
Speaking in a Dutch book called Formula Max, Marko said:
“Of course we knew that Max was talking to Mercedes as well, but with Mercedes he wouldn't have come to Formula 1 so quickly. They don't take those risks with a newcomer.”
The young Dutchman was eyed by Red Bull’s rivals Mercedes and Ferrari. But Marko believes neither would have risked a new young talent. Observing through his younger years in karting and junior formula, Red Bull were quick to hire him in 2015 at the age of 17. This happened because the Austrian owned team believes in nurturing young talent.
Mercedes were rumored to be in talks with the driver during his F3 season. However, they were never able to act upon their desire to hire the Dutch rookie. On the other hand, Red Bull’s versatile talent pool and philosophy of taking risks allowed them to induct the 2021 world champion into their squad.
Red Bull F1 advisor believes Max Verstappen was ready for F1 despite his age
The Dutchman’s entry into the sport at the age of 17 had raised eyeballs across the motorsport fraternity. The ripple effect caused the FIA to change the minimum age for the F1 grid to 18. However, his raw pace and talent was never questioned.
Helmut Marko, who has scouted various talent across the grid, believes the young, inexperienced Dutch driver was ready for the big leagues.
Explaining the reasons behind the hiring of Max Verstappen at a young age, Marko said:
“But my plan to sign him and put him into Formula 1 straight away wasn't to outdo Mercedes. It was simply because I saw that he was ready for Formula 1 and that turned out to be the case.”
Max Verstappen’s minimal experience in single-seaters did not deter Red Bull’s confidence in the driver. He was quickly promoted from their junior team Toro Rosso to the main Red Bull team in 2016. The driver proved Marko’s judgment by winning the very first race with the the senior team in Spain, becoming the sport’s youngest race winner at the age of 18.
The new world champion’s story is very similar to Kimi Raikkonen, whose age and minimal experience was a controversy when he was hired by Sauber. Ironically Verstappen beat the Finn in his first race with Red Bull.
