Marko praises Verstappen; impatience with the Dutchman has completely disappeared

Max Verstappen's world title provided Red Bull with the ultimate proof that it once made the right choice in allowing the Dutchman to make his debut in Formula 1 at a young age. There was plenty of criticism at the time because a seventeen-year-old was far too young to hold his own at the highest level of motorsport.

Ready for it

In the book, 'Formula Max', published by Motorsport.com Helmut Marko looks back on that period. The Austrian put Verstappen in the Torro Rosso because the Dutchman was ready for Formula 1. He rejects the idea that it was the goal to trump Mercedes with this call. Marko says that the mentality of Red Bull is different than that of Mercedes. He calls it "the no risk, no fun mentality".

Marko has never doubted the correctness of his decision to bring Verstappen to Formula One. The Austrian calls it a calculated risk. Moreover, Red Bull gave the Dutchman a good preparation for his first season, so for Marko, there was no doubt.

No impatience

So now Verstappen is world champion, a consequence of the Dutchman's maturing. Marko gives the example of how Verstappen could sometimes explode as soon as something went wrong in free practice. Nowadays, Verstappen shrugs his shoulders when faced with setbacks, knowing that he can't change anything anyway. There is no longer any question of impatience, according to Marko.