Revealed: Marko’s role in Toto Wolff’s initial Max Verstappen snub

While Toto Wolff and Co were weighing up bringing the rising star Max Verstappen to Mercedes, in snuck Helmut Marko to snatch the prize.

That is the claim made by 10-time F1 grand prix winner Gerhard Berger, who recalled putting Verstappen on the radar of Mercedes’ former non-executive chairman, the late great three-time World Champion Niki Lauda, only for team boss Toto Wolff to require some convincing, a delay which proved catastrophic.

While Toto Wolff pondered, Helmut Marko signed Max Verstappen

Red Bull is a team that prides itself on doing things differently and that was certainly true when they placed a 17-year-old Max Verstappen on the F1 grid with their junior team Toro Rosso in 2015, though it was a decision which they were rewarded handsomely for.

Promoted to the main Red Bull team in time for the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Verstappen won that race on debut and has gone on to establish himself as F1’s top dog, winning four consecutive World Championships since 2021.

Verstappen’s latest triumph came in a 2024 season where Mercedes boss Wolff had said he would “love” to bring him to the Silver Arrows, but Berger recalled how Wolff had the chance many years ago, and indecision lead to Red Bull driver programme boss Helmut Marko coming in and sealing a deal.

Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Berger said: “It was clear that he was special. One day I told Lauda, ‘You should get Max Verstappen.’ He replied, ‘Who? Jos’s son? Do you think he’s good?’ I replied, ‘He is not good, he is outstanding.’

“Then Niki, who was already a consultant at Mercedes, immediately called Toto Wolff on the phone, ‘We absolutely have to get Verstappen!’ But Toto retorted contritely, ‘Why should we? We have [Valtteri] Bottas and so many good drivers in our academy.’

“They discussed it for a while, and I know they talked about it in the following weeks as well, but in the meantime Helmut Marko had arrived to steal Max from him….”

Verstappen has withstood a great deal of pressure in his time with the Red Bull fold, from the eyebrows raised over his debut at such a young age, to ending the dominance of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, and the in-fighting which took place at Red Bull in the early stages of F1 2024.

However, Berger said Verstappen has the ability to mute all that noise.

Asked if Verstappen’s mental strength to deal with pressure inside and outside of Red Bull has surprised him, Berger replied: “He’s not one to be influenced by what’s around him. He is very analytical.

“That’s why he reminds me a little bit of Niki Lauda.

“Also, he can admit when he is wrong. An interesting personality.”

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Amid the off-track saga at Red Bull, Verstappen’s future with the team came under intense scrutiny, Wolff speaking publicly on his desire to sign him at that stage, with Hamilton having already agreed a multi-year deal with Ferrari from F1 2025.

And Verstappen recently addressed the talks he held over a Mercedes move, a switch which did not materialise.

Verstappen holds the longest contract anywhere on the F1 grid, his Red Bull terms running until the end of 2028.

“The big teams are always interesting, but on the other hand, I’m also in a very big team,” Verstappen told Viaplay when asked if Wolff had not done enough to entice him to Mercedes.

“I’ve achieved a lot of success with them, it also just feels like a second family.

“Look, of course we always talk to each other, and I don’t lie about the fact that we’ve sat together. We had very constructive conversations, I think everyone has always been very honest and open with each other.

“But on the other hand, I am also very loyal to my own team, and I just feel at home there. So, then there is actually not much to achieve at the moment. I am still very young, so a lot can still happen in the future.”

Verstappen will have a new Red Bull team-mate for F1 2025, as Liam Lawson makes the step up from Racing Bulls following the departure of Sergio Perez.

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