Helmut Marko explains the Sebastian Vettel trait that Max Verstappen has developed this season

Follow us on Google Discover

Red Bull Racing have already helped one driver become a four-time Formula 1 world champion and are on a mission before the end of this season to emulate that feat.

After arriving on the grid in 2005 as the successors to Jaguar, Red Bull have gone from a midfield team to one of the most successful outfits in the sport’s history.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Red Bull have had a dozen different drivers in Formula 1 but two stand out for their achievements in the sport.

Sebastian Vettel won Red Bull’s – and Toro Rosso’s – first-ever F1 race before winning every championship between 2010 and 2013.

Now, Max Verstappen is within six races of matching his feat of winning four straight championships, although McLaren’s Lando Norris is bearing down on him.

Vettel and Verstappen are two very different drivers, but Helmut Marko in an interview with Motorsport Magazin has shared one trait that he believes the Dutchman has started to develop this year that was crucial to his predecessor’s success.

READ MORE: Who is Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko? Everything to know

Verstappen is already being considered in conversations about F1’s greatest drivers, and while Vettel was obviously extremely talented, he had more of an advantage over the rest of the field during his time than the 27-year-old.

However, Vettel built up that advantage using his ability to communicate with his engineers and maximised the performance of his car as a result.

Marko believes that Verstappen has been forced to develop this skill throughout this season.

Red Bull have lost their advantage over their rivals this year, and that’s forced Verstappen to try and optimise the performance of his RB20 each weekend.

Helmut Marko thinks Max Verstappen has developed key Sebastian Vettel trait this season

Talking about how in the past Vettel used to be able to help the engineers with his technical knowledge and comparing that to Verstappen’s feedback, Marko said: “Well, he’s now more experienced and he’s had more intensive conversations with the engineers.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

“We still have a problem with the correlation between the wind tunnel and reality or the simulation and reality.

“Remember, Max, he was so enthusiastic about Monte Carlo and then the car jumped, as he said, like a kangaroo.

“So, that was already there and that the whole thing is questioned more critically and analysed critically and all of this is now a process for us to bring it together again.”

Why Max Verstappen leaving Red Bull could lead to the ‘end of Red Bull in F1’

Red Bull have seen their senior staff torn apart over the last few years.

Rob Marshall is helping McLaren in their pursuit of a first Constructors’ Championship this century, and Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley and Will Courtenay are among those leaving in the near future.

Verstappen has committed his future to Red Bull until the end of the 2028 season, although clauses in Verstappen’s contract could allow him to leave sooner if certain criteria are met.

It’s been suggested that if Verstappen leaves Red Bull then the long-term future of the team could be in doubt.

Red Bull have never settled for mediocrity in their other sporting disputes and without a clear successor to the Dutchman, their commitment to the sport might be questioned.

That’s a long way off though and Verstappen will have to use all of the tactics he’s learned over the years, including how to communicate with his engineers like Vettel used to do, to secure a fourth championship this year.