Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko, the man who can make or break a young drivers' career in F1, has no intention of leaving the F1 paddock anytime soon, unless he's fired.
Marko - who has overseen Red Bull's driver development programme since 1999 and its interests in F1 since 2005 – is still racking in the frequent flyer miles at 79, and will continue his globetrotting unabated as long as he physically can.
"Everything is a story of passion and I am a great enthusiast," Marko told French weekly Auto-Hebdo. "I love this sport and I love winning.
"None of my activities are stressful for me. I feel good and as long as I can continue to do this job properly and I don’t get fired, I will!"
As Red Bull's representative in the paddock and advisor to the energy drink company's co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz, Marko mission is to keep an eye on drivers and to monitor both Red Bull and AlphaTauri's performances, leaving the operational workload of the teams in the very efficient and capable hands of Christian Horner and Franz Tost.
After winning four consecutive Drivers and Constructors' championships with Sebastian Vettel from 2010 to 2013, Red Bull suffered the dominance of the might Mercedes squad for seven seasons.
Although the team was once again defeated by its rival in the Constructors' standings last year, a fierce, down-to-wire fight between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen crowned the latter.
In hindsight, Marko looks upon the achievement as his greatest moment in F1.
"Yes, because we put an end to the great domination of Mercedes, which began in 2014 when new engine regulations were established," said the former F1 driver and Le Mans winner.
"We have suffered a lot during all these years. Honda went to great lengths to deliver a quality engine. And then we won the title with a member of our junior team, beating a seven-time World Champion.
"Of course, that was the greatest moment."
©RedBull
Marko was instrumental in promoting Verstappen to F1 at the record young age of 17 in 2014. And the Austrian is obviously proud, not only of the Dutchman's success, but also his development from teenage rookie to seasoned veteran.
"It’s true. Personally, I call it the ‘Verstappen project’," said Marko. "His father, Jos, initiated him when Max was four years old. He was very hard on him. It obviously worked well.
"After his title, we could feel a great relief within the whole family. By winning, they achieved what they had long wanted and validated their objective.
"Max has always had to deal with enormous pressure from Jos. He continues to put some, but a little less now.
"All this made him more mature. He is 24 years old and he is a young World Champion. The rest will now be just a bonus."
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