Although Dr. Marko does not usually get the credit he deserves for the success the team has achieved, he was effectively the mastermind behind the Milton Keynes-based outfit surge to the top, putting the key figures in place, like Christian Horner as team principal and Adrian Newey as Technical Director for instance, wose signings would eventually make the Red Bull Racing outfit the F1 powerhouse it is today.

Yet history might have turned out very differently if Marko had instead switched over to Ferrari. In conversation with Tom Clarkson on the Beyond the Grid Podcast, the 82-year-old Austrian revealed just how close he was to signing for the Scuderia.

Prior to the accident at the Clermont-Ferrand circuit during the 1972 French Grand Prix, which cost him his left eye, Marko had driven a Ferrari sports car the week before.

An astonished Clarkson asked to confirmed if the offer was to drive for Ferrari, to which Marko replied: "[It was an offer] from Ferrari, yes. It was already [signed]."

When pressed if the document he had signed was a contract, Marko clarified: "No, it was a letter of intent, and I should have come to Maranello because in the end, the old man (Enzo Ferrari, ed.), has to be always involved and personally you have to be there and show your[self to the] audience."

Although his negotiations up to that point had not involved Ferrari himself, Marko did get a chance to see the legend himself once. "No, no, it was Peter Schetty, who was a team principal at that time," he added.

The racing Gods, however, made sure that the potential titles Marko left on the table as a racing driver, he'd be able to achieve them in his current chief advisor role at Red Bull Racing.

Since he and late Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz decided to enter F1, the team has gone on to win 6 double titles and two more Drivers' titles, and have fielded more rookies in the series via their junior driver development program than any of its rivals.

Technical director of the Powertrains division at Red Bull, Ben Hodgkinson, has said that Max Verstappen was impressed after seeing and hearing Red Bull’s 2026 power unit running. The British former Mercedes man, highlighted Verstappen’s deep comprehension and sharp line of questioning, along with his influence within the team. Read Hodgkinson's statements here.

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