Helmut Marko 2024
After a historically dominant F1 season for Red Bull in 2023, expectations are sky-high and it is up to Helmut Marko, among others, to fulfill those expectations. Team boss Christian Horner already admitted that it is unlikely that his team will be able to surpass the record year: not only because it will have to win even more races, but also because the competition was getting closer towards the end of the season.
McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari made big steps in the second half of 2023. However, it must be said that Red Bull already shifted its focus to the RB20 for the 2024 season in the summer. The expectation is that the Austrian team will start the new year with a lead again, but at the same time it seems that other F1 teams will increasingly develop their cars according to Red Bull's philosophy.
Eye injury ends Helmut Marko's racing career
Wherever Helmut Marko appeared on the Formula 1 grid during his racing career, he achieved his greatest success in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Together with Dutchman Gijs van Lennep, Marko was the first to cross the finish line in his Porsche 917 in 1971. A year earlier, the Austrian also finished first in the P3.0 class (and third in the entire ranking).
In the same year in which the 24 Hours of Le Mans was won, Marko also appeared at the start of four Grands Prix. He did not score any points, not even in the following season. The 1972 French Grand Prix would also be his last race in the premier class, after a flying stone went straight through his visor and hit his left eye. Losing his eye on that side meant only one thing: his racing career was over.
Helmut Marko: from manager to team boss to talent scout
However, Marko was not deterred by his abruptly curtailed career in motorsport. Not only did the Austrian dive into business (two hotels in his hometown of Graz are owned by Marko), he also took a different tack in racing. RSM Marko was founded after he had first managed fellow countrymen Gerhard Berger and Karl Wendlinger.
His team moved from participation in the German DTM to the predecessor of Formula 2: Formula 3000. From 1991, the racing team appeared on the grid under the name Red Bull Junior Team, as that better describes the team's goal. : guiding up-and-coming talent who ride under the sponsor of Red Bull to the top.
Advisor at Red Bull Racing
From the moment the Red Bull Junior program was created, it has been Helmut Marko's job to guide the young, up-and-coming talent. The Austrian's approach is straightforward: having to work hard, repeating every mistake made forever and focusing mainly on everything that can be improved. Those who survive Marko's tests will certainly not be any worse off: they will go down in the history books as the great heroes of Formula 1.
In 2005, Red Bull Racing appeared on the grid with its own team, after it had taken over Jaguar's struggling racing stable. Christian Klien (Marko's compatriot) and David Coulthard took care of that season, before Vitantonio Liuzzi took over for Klien for four races. The first podium followed a year later when David Coulthard finished third in Monaco. There was also a supporting role that season for Robert Doornbos, who sat in Christian Klien's seat during the last three races of the year.
It would not be until 2009 that Marko's first up-and-coming talent took a seat in the Red Bull, after being included in the program from the very beginning as a junior. Sebastian Vettel first earned his stripes with the junior team of the Bulls, then called Scuderia Toro Rosso. With pole and victory in Italy in 2008, Vettel showed that he was worth every euro invested.
Helmut Marko 2023
With the second drivers' title in a row and the constructors' title in the pocket, Red Bull Racing faced an enormous challenge in 2023. Not only did Ferrari and Mercedes want to put the team to the test, the Austrian racing team also had to manage with significantly less wind tunnel time. than before. However, Marko was not too worried and emphasized more than once that his team still had an advantage with names like Adrian Newey and Max Verstappen in the ranks.
It soon became clear that Marko was right: from the start of the 2023 season, Red Bull started to string together victories. Aston Martin started the season strongly, but was overtaken by McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari over the course of the year. The latter was the only one who managed to keep victory out of Red Bull's hands once: Carlos Sainz won the Singapore Grand Prix and for the first and only time that season there was no Red Bull driver on the podium.
Helmut Marko salary and net worth
No official figures are known about Helmut Marko's exact salary and net worth, but his net worth is estimated at around 65 million euros. The Austrian can add several million in salary every year.
What kind of doctor is Helmut Marko?
Dr. Helmut Marko obtained his doctorate in law in 1967 and as such may use the title "Doctor of Law".
Is Helmut Marko married?
Helmut Marko is married, but his wife is shrouded in mystery. The identity of Ms. Marko is not known and the Red Bull advisor would like to keep it that way.
Does Helmut Marko have children?
Marko is a devoted father of two daughters, Sonja Grassberger and Ann Maria Marko. Although Marko likes to keep his private life to himself, his family has always been a pillar of support and inspiration during his career. Marko recognizes the importance of a strong family foundation and attributes his sense of focus on the essential elements of life to his wife and children.
