Helmut Marko once ‘had a contract ready’ for one of Max Verstappen’s rivals to drive for Toro Rosso

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Red Bull Racing are one of the biggest names in motorsport now and that means they can cast their net far and wide to discover the greatest young talents around the world.

Helmut Marko is the man who oversees the entire project and his opinion has been crucial in deciding the fates of plenty of young drivers over the last two decades.

Marko spent the most recent summer break analysing potential new drivers for Red Bull’s Junior Team and will be hoping the likes of Isack Hadjar and Arvid Lindblad develop into the F1 world champions of the future.

However, speaking on the Inside Line Podcast, Marko has shared the story of one exceptional talent he came so close to signing without getting it over the line.

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

Max Verstappen is a generational talent and already has three world championships to his name.

Although the current Red Bull is no longer at the front of the grid, his advantage in the Drivers’ Championship still makes him the favourite to secure a fourth title.

The most likely man to stop him at this stage is McLaren star Lando Norris.

However, things could have been very different, as Marko has now suggested that he had a contract ready for Norris to sign in the past that would have seen him sign for Red Bull’s second team.

It would have changed the course of Formula 1 had the Brit decided to jump Red Bull’s academy and this year’s title race would potentially be even more exciting had they been in the same car.

Helmut Marko had a contract ready for McLaren star Lando Norris to sign

Asked about the drivers that Red Bull have missed out on over the years, Marko said: “We had serious discussions and we had a contract ready for Lando Norris for the AlphaTauri, or Toro Rosso at the time.

“But, unfortunately, they had two contracts and then one which had a clause which stopped this cooperation with Lando Norris.

“But, the rest as I said, we are proud about our two world champions.”

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from height and parents to celebration

Norris is two years younger than Verstappen and would have slotted into the Toro Rosso team nicely following Verstappen’s promotion.

Instead, the team recalled Daniil Kvyat at one stage to fill the void while the likes of Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon struggled when called up to sign for Red Bull.

Lando Norris still trying to prove he’s a future F1 world champion

Norris is extremely talented and has finally added two Grand Prix victories to his CV this season after more than 100 races in the sport.

That long wait is primarily down to McLaren’s inability to challenge the likes of Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari in recent years but they have the quickest car on the grid now.

Unfortunately, Norris also has a brilliant young teammate in the form of Oscar Piastri making his life difficult.

The Australian has taken plenty of points off him recently and his move to overtake him at the Italian Grand Prix highlights how little he seems to care about Norris’s title ambitions.

READ MORE: Martin Brundle got ‘confirmation’ about how Oscar Piastri feels about Lando Norris’s title ambitions at Monza

McLaren may have to do something about that sooner rather than later although Marko will be hoping McLaren continue to let them race for the foreseeable future.