Helmut Marko is proud of his successes with Red Bull Racing. However, expectations in Formula 1 were different when the Austrians announced their move into the motorsport class, the consultant remembers well.
This was by no means down to Marko. The former Formula 1 driver felt from the start that Red Bull could be a success, provided the right steps were taken. Bringing in Adrian Newey, for instance, was very important for the team's growth.
A special meeting between Newey and Marko
However, Red Bull's top man experienced a peculiar first meeting with Marko. Where Newey decided to shake his hand, Marko took a different tack and uttered three legendary phrases: "I am Dr Helmut Marko. I work for Red Bull. You will call me."
"He gazed a little bit strange at me," Marko states in conversation with Road & Track. "When Red Bull decided to go into F1, people thought we were just a fun company making bigger parties than the others. My approach was to be as competitive as possible. I am direct about what we expect, and in the end, it worked out."