Marko proud of homeland: 'Red Bull seen as Austrian national team'

Helmut Marko finds it striking to see Formula 1 becoming less and less popular in Germany. Instead, the Red Bull Racing adviser sees the motorsport class being followed by many people in his own country, he told Sport 1.

Whereas the entire Formula 1 season could be followed on RTL Deutschland for many years, in recent years it has broadcast only a few race weekends per season under a sublicence. The rest of the Grands Prix could be seen on Sky Sports.

However, the channel has decided to pull out, after which Sky Sports will look for other interested parties. For now, the broadcaster has yet to find them, threatening to lose a lot of money. Marko did not expect such a scenario in Germany, where a GP was scheduled every year until 2019.

"It's unbelievable what is happening in Germany now," the Austrian stated. "In Austria, it is exactly the opposite. Formula 1 is flourishing there more than ever before. Red Bull is seen as the Austrian national team and therefore the whole country is cheering it on."