Marko shares a hilarious anecdote about 'hamburger fan' Montoya

Over his long tenure at Red Bull Racing, Marko has worked with a wide range of drivers. Under his guidance, names such as Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel went on to reach the very pinnacle of Formula 1, while others were dismissed after just a brief evaluation. Montoya, in Marko’s view, falls into the latter category.

The Colombian won seven Grands Prix during his F1 career, but Marko believes that tally should have been significantly higher. When asked to identify a driver who failed to fully maximise his potential, the 82-year-old singled out Montoya. “There are several on the shortlist. Montoya didn’t make use of his talents, which is truly a shame,” the Austrian tells Die Zeit.

Montoya was once an option for Red Bull Racing, Marko reveals in the German newspaper, but the interest in the Colombian was ultimately short-lived. “Montoya was incredibly talented, came from Colombia, and visited me in Graz. The first thing he told me was how excited he was about the four hamburger restaurants in Graz. He had already looked at the menus.”

That comment clearly did not sit well with the Red Bull advisor. While Montoya may not have yet known how demanding Marko could be, the message was apparently made clear by the end of the evening. “I live on a mountain above the city, and after dinner at my home (we had salad) I didn’t call him a taxi and made him walk an hour back to the city,” Marko said.

These days, Montoya is still a regular presence in the paddock, working as an analyst while also mentoring his son, Sebastian Montoya. The former F1 driver is said to be keen on ensuring his son avoids some of the missteps he feels hampered his own career.

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