Red Bull ‘practically have only one driver’ in ‘retired, failed or crushed’ verdict

Red Bull Racing special advisor Helmut Marko has admitted the team “practically have only one driver” in Formula 1.

That driver is Max Verstappen, as the remainder of the drivers who were working their way up through the ranks of the junior program have either “retired, failed” or been “crushed.”

Helmut Marko’s blunt Red Bull driver line-up verdict

It’s clear that Max Verstappen is the favorite at Red Bull Racing — but the team’s special advisor Helmut Marko has shared a sentiment to that exact effect.

In an interview with publication Kleine Zeitung ahead of June’s Austrian Grand Prix, Marko offered a very blunt verdict on Red Bull’s fortunes and chances for improvement.

Asked about his goals, Marko replied, “My contract runs until the end of 2026, and at the moment the main focus is on getting the team back to winning ways.

“A lot is down to the technology, even though we had a relapse in the pit stops. But that was explainable, the last stops worked, and the strategy was also good again. Everything has to be one hundred per cent right for us to have a chance against McLaren.

“But that’s not easy because we practically only have one driver. And it doesn’t matter who you pick: since 2016, since Max has been in the car, sooner or later every other driver has retired, failed, been crushed by Max.”

Those are strong — but not wholly incorrect — words.

Since joining Red Bull Racing in 2016, Verstappen has racked up 65 wins. His teammates have scored a combined total of nine victories during that same time period — and those wins came solely from Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez.

Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Liam Lawson, and Yuki Tsunoda have all spent time in that second Red Bull seat, all without securing a win.

More on Red Bull Racing:

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👉 Red Bull’s seven shortest driver stints – and why they ended

The admission was prompted in part by Marko’s discussions of future talent Arvid Lindblad, a Swedish-Indian racer born in Britain who is a member of the Red Bull junior programme and who just received the super license that makes him eligible to compete in Formula 1.

Lindblad has been testing Red Bull machines, and made his FP1 debut with the team at Silverstone, but Marko stated that the goal was not to make any mid-season replacements but to be prepared in the event that Verstappen’s penalty points total results in a one-race ban.

“We currently have two replacement drivers: Lindblad and Ayumu Iwasa, who has overlapping Formula 1 dates with his commitments in Japan,” Marko explained.

“For some races we even had a deal with another team, and once a replacement driver was even scheduled for three teams. It is not so easy to find someone who is in good shape. And that’s why Lindblad is now in the car.”

He noted that Red Bull has signed other strong drivers to Red Bull, including Sebastian Montoya, Nikola Tsolov, Oliver Goethe, Pepe Marti, and more further down the ladder.

“We have a lot of talent in the pipeline, which is fun, yes,” Marko said.

“We are also constantly developing the programme further, true to the motto: we don’t buy stars, we make them.”

Read next: Life after Adrian Newey: Meet the man set to take over Red Bull’s technical programme