Max Verstappen backlash brought up as Red Bull chief Helmut Marko gets the last laugh

Helmut Marko saw capable imaginable successful Max Verstappen to fto him go F1's youngest ever operator with Red Bull, contempt critics claiming it was excessively "dangerous" for the present four-time satellite champion

Helmut Marko enjoyed the past laughter contempt facing backlash implicit Max Verstappen being excessively young to contention successful Formula One.

Red Bull main Marko brushed disconnected disapproval that throwing Verstappen into the heavy extremity arsenic a teen was "dangerous" a decennary ago. That determination present appears to person been a masterstroke, fixed that the 27-year-old won his 4th satellite title on Sunday aft finishing 5th astatine the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The racing prodigy was snapped up by Toro Rosso successful 2015 astatine the behest of Marko, who oversees Red Bull’s operator improvement programme. Aged conscionable 17, helium became the youngest ever F1 driver, a grounds astatine the time. As the lad of ex-F1 operator Jos Verstappen, Max didn't instrumentality agelong to beryllium his mettle, finishing his archetypal play 12th successful the driver's standings up of racing legends similar Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button.

Marko swiftly promoted him to genitor squad Red Bull Racing during the 2016 season, wherever helium secured a maiden triumph successful his debut contention astatine the Spanish Grand Prix. By doing so, helium shattered different grounds to go the youngest Grand Prix victor successful F1 past astatine conscionable 18 years and 227-days-old, portion simultaneously covering Marko successful glory.

Speaking astir his determination to propulsion the Dutchman into an F1 spot connected Viaplay's: Anatomy of a Champion documentary - which is disposable to watercourse present via Amazon Prime - the 81-year-old Austrian said: “We were informed that Jos is pushing and grooming young Max. He was consenting and bare to learn. That already impressed me.

“Drivers successful our inferior teams are aged betwixt 19 and 20 and Max was 16. So erstwhile it became nationalist that helium would beryllium successful a Formula One car, we received truthful galore antagonistic comments.

“They said ‘such a young guy, helium can’t bash it, it’s dangerous’ and blah, blah, blah. I said ‘I judge Max is ready, truthful let’s spot however acold we tin go.'

“He instantly was competitory astatine Racing and we cognize what happened [winning connected his debut]. Max was connected his mode up. It was a restitution for me.” Marko has surely had the past laughter with Verstappen proving himself to beryllium 1 of the top F1 drivers of each clip successful his abbreviated vocation truthful far.

He won his archetypal rubric successful 2021 by passing title rival and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton connected the past thigh of the last contention successful Abu Dhabi. He past dominated the adjacent 2 championships successful 2022 and 2023, and fended disconnected a situation from Lando Norris to assertion the crown this play with 8 Grand Prix wins, including an unforgettable show successful bedewed conditions successful Brazil.

Credit: Max Verstappen: Anatomy of a Champion is disposable to watercourse connected Viaplay via Amazon Prime from 25 Nov

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