Why Helmut Marko held a ‘grudge’ against Daniel Ricciardo before RB exit

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Daniel Ricciardo was, for a time, a poster boy for Red Bull. He’d come through their driver academy to establish himself as a Grand Prix winner and one of the best drivers on the F1 grid.

Ricciardo made his F1 debut with HRT midway through the 2011 season. He was on Red Bull’s books already, and they handed him a full-time Toro Rosso seat for 2012.

He prevailed in a battle with Jean-Eric Vergne to succeed Mark Webber alongside Sebastian Vettel. Ricciardo then stunned the F1 world by beating the four-time world champion in 2014, potentially contributing to his decision to join Ferrari.

The Australian was the clear team leader the following year alongside Daniil Kvyat, with Max Verstappen arriving in early 2016. Ricciardo remains the only teammate to beat Verstappen in the championship, having done so in 2017.

He won seven races with the Milton Keynes overall before he decided to make a sensational switch to Renault for 2019. He banked on the midfield team becoming a front-runner but they fell short of his expectations.

He was also concerned that Red Bull were gravitating towards Verstappen, and with good reason. Christian Horner ‘slapped Helmut Marko on the leg’ when he openly told Ricciardo that they wanted the Dutchman to be champion in 2019 and 2020.

Helmut Marko felt embittered over Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull exit

In recent months, Marko has lobbied for Liam Lawson to replace Ricciardo at RB. He feels Red Bull should look towards the future rather than persist with an underperforming veteran.

According to ESPN’s Nate Saunders, speaking on the Unlapped podcast, Marko also held a ‘grudge’ against the 35-year-old. He was against bringing him back to the Red Bull family after he lost his McLaren drive.

There seems to be a feeling of betrayal on Marko’s part, stemming from Ricciardo’s Renault move. He only scored two podiums with the French manufacturer, but his old team have struggled to find a worthy successor.

The executive director wasn’t in a position to stop Ricciardo’s return at the time. Horner opposed the signing of Nyck de Vries, and the Dutchman’s failure weakened Marko’s position.

“Helmut Marko, I think, has always held a bit of a grudge that Ricciardo left in the first place,” Saunders said. “He was like ‘well why do we need to bring this guy back?’. By the time that De Vries had gone, he really had lost some of his leverage.”

The moment Daniel Ricciardo nearly ‘said something’ about Helmut Marko

There appears to be some tension between Ricciardo and one of the most influential figures at Red Bull. It has become a battleground in the power struggle between Horner and Marko.

It should be stressed that, on performance alone, Ricciardo can have few complaints about losing his seat. He’s only scored 12 of RB’s 34 points this season, and the team’s very purpose is to train young talent.

Still, Ricciardo nearly ‘said something’ about Marko after qualifying for the Singapore GP. Saunders noticed him contemplating whether to reveal his true feelings.

There will come a point in the near future when he addresses his time at Red Bull in an interview. Free from the restrictions of being an employee, he may not be so hesitant.