Helmut Marko explains why Seb Vettel and Max Verstappen could never have been Red Bull teammates

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The legacy of Red Bull Racing on the track exists thanks to two drivers: Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.

Unless something miraculous happens at the end of this season, starting at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, 28-year-old Max Verstappen will remain a four-time world champion going into the winter break.

Given how the 2023 campaign played out, it’s hard to believe that Red Bull have lost their advantage during the current set of regulations, which has ultimately denied Verstappen overtaking Sebastian Vettel’s championship record.

Vettel and Verstappen’s spells at Red Bull played out very differently.

Mark Webber partnered with Vettel throughout his success, while the team’s current predicament of trying to find a suitable partner for Verstappen is the final piece of the 2026 driver market puzzle to be completed.

Isack Hadjar looks like Red Bull’s chosen teammate for Verstappen in 2026, but the team’s chief advisor, Helmut Marko, has now responded to an interesting question about the Anglo-Austrian outfit’s most successful drivers.

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

Helmut Marko says Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen wouldn’t work as Red Bull teammates

Marko was asked on the Beyond the Grid Podcast who the best two Red Bull drivers are in their 20-year F1 history and said: “That’s very easy. Of course, Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel.”

The Red Bull chief then admitted that they wouldn’t have been good teammates, and when asked to explain why, he continued: “They are a completely different character.

“And you know that when Vettel left, we didn’t look for a new Vettel, we looked for a new champion.

“So it’s not part of our philosophy to have the driver put in a schedule or in a form.

“But what makes the difference is I think Max is absolutely committed. You know what I don’t understand?

“After winning a Grand Prix, he jumps on his plane and goes in a simulator and makes the e-race.

“OK, that’s maybe the modern times. But also like the Nurburgring with his Ferrari victory, that meant so much to him.”

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

Who would be the perfect Max Verstappen teammate out of any driver on the current Formula 1 grid?

If Red Bull weren’t limited by the lack of movement in the driver market this season and their preference for looking within their own talent pool to sign a second driver, then there are several very interesting options.

Marko revealed that Lando Norris would have fitted in well at Red Bull, but the idea of another number one driver partnering with Verstappen is hard to see.

That would rule out the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri, George Russell and the recently linked with Red Bull, Charles Leclerc.

But there is a tier of drivers just below that level who would suit the position perfectly.

Nico Hulkenberg has a brilliant relationship with Verstappen, and at his stage of his career, would almost certainly welcome racing a top team where there would be opportunities to add to his single F1 podium.

Verstappen is also a big admirer of Gabriel Bortoleto, and already this season, Ted Kravitz has said Bortoleto is attracting interest from top teams in the paddock.

Williams pair Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon would theoretically be good fits given their previous experience within the Red Bull system, while Oliver Bearman is another driver who has publicly declared his admiration for the Dutchman.