This weekend Helmut Marko will be behind the wheel of a racing car again – we wrote that he will take part in the “Parade of Legends”, which will be held on Sunday at the Austrian circuit.
The Red Bull Motorsports Advisor has raced vehicles ranging from sports prototypes and sports cars to Formula 1 as a young man, and now he will drive the BRM 157, a 1970 Can-Am race car. Back in those days, Mexican Pedro Rodriguez drove it , and Marco, who was not yet 30 at the time, in the early 1970s, in a similar car, the BRM P167, took part in the Interseries championship races, including those at the circuit in Spielberg .
“I hope when I get behind the wheel of this car the speed doesn’t get me too drunk!” Helmut Marko reacted cheerfully in an interview with Auto Bild. After the first eight races of the season, he has every reason to be in a good mood, with Red Bull Racing leading the constructors’ championship and Max Verstappen well ahead in the drivers’ standings.
“He is only 25 years old and he has already achieved 41 victories, and he is the youngest driver in Formula 1 history to achieve such success,” Marco continued. – Once, when I compared him to Ayrton Senna, they laughed at me. Nobody smiles anymore.
In addition, Max is developing very well as a person, he has a strong character and he says what he thinks. Gradually, over time, he becomes more and more charismatic.”
Sergio Perez has been noticeably behind his Red Bull Racing partner lately, but according to Marco the rumors that he is looking for a replacement are nothing more than speculation: “A lot has just been taken out of context. Daniel Ricciardo will have to work on tests, but this work has little in common with sports.
Perez had some great races and some very minor ones. He must focus on achieving optimal results, he does not have to dream of a championship title. But the positive thing is that he has been Max’s partner for more than two seasons.”
Helmut Marko considers the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix to be one of the highlights of the season, but he loves this race, not just because he’s raced on this track himself, and not just because it’s Red Bull Racing’s home stage.
“During this stage I feel more comfortable than usual. After the race I can go home without traffic jams and watch the evening news on TV. For me, this is a luxury,” he emphasized.
It is worth adding that Helmut Marko owns the Schlossberghotel in Graz, where he keeps his art collection – but in this hotel literally everything looks, as they say, like in a photo.
“We either have to bring everything to perfection or not do it at all. My interests are not limited to Formula 1,” he says. By the way, in the lobby of the hotel there are two helmets, especially memorable for 80-year-old Marco.
One was donated by Sebastian Vettel after the 2010 season, when the German won the championship for the first time with Red Bull Racing. The second is the Verstappen helmet that Max wore in 2021 and this helmet bears the following inscription: “Even the accident at Silverstone didn’t stop us from winning the title.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
