Helmut Marko admits he’s been seriously impressed by 19-year-old Red Bull junior driver

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Red Bull Racing director Helmut Marko has shared his thoughts on the team’s latest junior recruit Oliver Goethe.

Marko was speaking to oe24.at ahead of two important races for the team.

The main event is in Las Vegas this weekend with Max Verstappen attempting to win his 18^th race of the season.

He’s already set plenty of records this year although his teammate Sergio Perez will be desperate to win his first race since Azerbaijan.

However, there’s also another race happening on the other side of the world that plenty of racing fans will be keeping an eye on.

The Macau Grand Prix is one of the biggest events in motor racing in Asia each year.

It takes place at the end of the season and one of the highlights of the weekend is the Formula 3 race where the winner is awarded the Formula 3 World Cup.

Oliver Goethe will be taking part this year and his car will feature a new Red Bull livery, with Helmut Marko excited by the German prospect.

The 19-year-old will be racing alongside fellow Red Bull youngster Pepe Marti and Colombian driver Sebastian Montoya.

After a decent first full season in F3, Goethe will want to impress among a very strong grid this weekend.

Marko impressed with new Red Bull youngster Goethe

Speaking about the London-born teenager, Marko said: “Good name, good guy. A German living in London and Monte Carlo. He was quick in the tests and next year he has to prove himself in Formula 3.

“He has a certain boldness. But I’ve already given up looking for a new Verstappen, he doesn’t exist. I’ll be happy if we find a future GP winner.”

Goethe began his career in karting like virtually every young racer before moving into the F4 Spanish Championship as a 15-year-old.

He was drafted into Formula 3 in 2022 midway through the season as a replacement for the injured Hunter Yeany and scored 15 points in his four races.

That cameo alongside winning the Euroformula Open Championship last year earned him a full race seat in 2023 and he finished 8^th overall, securing a win in the feature race in Silverstone.

At that level of racing, one of the best ways to judge a driver’s pace is by comparing him to his teammates as there can be a fair amount of discrepancy between teams.

His Trident teammate Gabriel Bortoleto won the series and will almost certainly be in Formula 2 next year, while he outscored Leonardo Fornaroli by six points.

Marko will be keen for Goethe to show why Red Bull have backed him in Macau this weekend.

He’s up against some current F2 drivers and Formula E racer Dan Ticktum, so the field is going to be one of the strongest he’s ever come up against.

All eyes will be on where Red Bull place Goethe in 2024, having had six drivers previously in F2, they might look to bump that number up again as they get ready to release two youngsters who were previously attached to the team.