Another piece of the puzzle that has made the Milton Keynes team so successful in recent years has fallen into place, with Helmut Marko, following Christian Horner’s departure over the summer, saying goodbye to Formula 1. The Austrian, speaking exclusively to GPblog, discussed what could be his next move.

Marko is undoubtedly one of the old-guard figures, always outspoken and unfiltered, which has often landed him in the media spotlight. Most recently, his comments about Kimi Antonelli following his mistake in Qatar forced him to backtrack and issue a public apology to the Italian driver.

However, it’s undeniable that the Graz native has always had a keen eye for young talent, having discovered countless young drivers during his two-decade tenure at Red Bull who went on to become world champions or established Formula 1 stars.

The two standout drivers to come out of the Red Bull junior program are, of course, Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen — the only two to have won more than one world championship with Red Bull, each claiming four titles.

However, Marko’s approach has also produced many other talents who, even if they didn’t become world champions, still made a significant impact. Take Daniel Ricciardo, for example — a hugely popular figure in the paddock who, at times, showed all the hallmarks of a superstar before fading in the later stages of his career.

There are also numerous other drivers who ended up sidelined at Red Bull or relegated to Toro Rosso but still carved out successful F1 careers, including Pierre Gasly, Alexander Albon, and even Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda.

Another driver who left the Red Bull orbit early is Carlos Sainz, who, after his stint at Toro Rosso, forged his path with several teams and has now become one of the key drivers on the grid.

Adding to that are several other drivers who didn’t enjoy much luck in F1, such as Brendon Hartley, Jaime Alguersuari, Sébastien Buemi, and Nyck de Vries, though they have all managed to reinvent themselves successfully in other categories.

The latest gem left behind by Helmut Marko is Arvid Lindblad, a very young British driver set to make his Formula 1 debut with Racing Bulls next year at just 18, carrying with him high expectations.

Isack Hadjar, another talent spotted by Marko and a product of the Red Bull junior program, will race alongside Verstappen next season after an impressive rookie campaign with RB.