Helmut Marko recalls his first impression of Max Verstappen, ‘I remember that fierce determination’

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Helmut Marko has recalled his first impression of Max Verstappen as a 15-year-old, highlighting how the now four-time F1 world champion always had a ‘fierce determination’.

By the time Helmut Marko had met Max Verstappen for the first time, he was already an international sensation in the go-karting scene. The young Dutchman was easily dispatching drivers who were vastly more experienced than he was, and F1 teams had already taken note.

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Toto Wolff and Mercedes had shown an interest in acquiring the youngster’s talents, but Marko beat them to the punch by offering Verstappen something that no other team could: an immediate seat in F1 through Red Bull’s sister team, Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls).

The rest is history, and the 82-year-old has now recalled his first impressions of Verstappen, as well as his predecessor Sebastian Vettel.

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Helmut Marko recalls his first impressions of Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel

During a recent interview with the German newspaper Die Zeit, Marko recalled how Red Bull’s two F1 world champions managed to win him over before the Austrian signed them to the team’s driver development programme.

In the case of Vettel, the first driver to bring a world title back to Milton Keynes, it was his commitment to peak performance that lit a fire inside Marko.

He explained, “When Vettel sat opposite me at that table in my office back then, he had just won 18 out of 20 Formula BMW races. He was unhappy that he hadn’t won the other two as well.”

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For Verstappen, Marko recalls his first impressions of the future four-time world champion like it was yesterday. He said, “I remember that fierce determination. Verstappen gave the impression that the mind of a 25-year-old man was housed in his 15-year-old body.

“Max had a clear goal, which was partly down to the extremely effective and tough training he received from his father.”

Asked to elaborate on what he means by Verstappen’s father’s teachings, Marko added, “You must always be first, the best – the son literally absorbed his father’s words.”

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Helmut Marko gives an example of Jos Verstappen’s ‘tough training’

The 28-year-old’s former performance coach, Bradley Scanes, previously detailed the effects of Jos’ tough training regime, highlighting how Verstappen’s awareness in F1 races is now second-to-none.

When asked if he enjoyed the tough training, Marko replied, “It was right on the limit,” before sharing an example of it from a go-kart circuit in Italy.

“Here’s an example: near Milan, heading towards Lake Garda, there are two go-kart tracks; Max had to drive there until his fingers were blue. Whether it was only ten degrees or raining, none of that mattered.

“But he still benefits today from his father’s strictness. When Max takes to the track in bad weather, he’s immediately two seconds faster than the others.”

Finally, Marko was asked if Jos’ philosophy can be justified, given the fact that his son is now a four-time world champion.

He answered with, “Yes, but not every boy would have been able to cope with that mentally.”