Red Bull motorsports consultant Dr Helmut Marko has developed quite the reputation for finding and developing future driver talent very early in their careers, such as Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.
Both have been graduates of the Red Bull young driver programme. But hand in hand in identifying future stars is knowing when a prospect isn't going to make it to the top tier.
Marko has been responsible for delivering the bad news to dozens of drivers, and often to their parents helping the youngsters take their first steps ont he ladder to Formula 1.
And even when they do they're still not safe from the axe, as Alex Albon, Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly found when their stints at Red Bull came to a sudden end when they failed to meet Marko's expectations.
But his reputation for being hard-nosed about the way he deals with drivers doesn't bother Marko one bit.
“In motor racing there is always an excuse for not winning—the engine - the tyres, the chassis and so on,” he told Road and Track in an interview this week.
“Unfortunately a lot of drivers are supported by parents who spend a lot of money - sometimes more money than they have - just to fulfil the dreams of raising a son [into becoming] a famous race-car driver.
“It’s my obligation to tell them when they should go in a different direction and stop wasting money," he stated with characteristic bluntness.
Marko is fearless in meeting that obligation. He's even told Jos Verstappen off for interfering in Max's career, and didn't hold back from labelling Yuki Tsunoda a "problem child" at the junior AlphaTauri squad.
Marko denies that doing this in public rather behind the scenes as happens at other teams is justified because F1 drivers must be able to withstand such pressure without the need for coddling.
“We make championships possible. Of course there is a lot of pressure. But if you can’t stand pressure, racing is the wrong business for you.”
But the one driver Marko has no criticism of is two-time world champion Max Verstappen, whom Marko feels eclipses all others.
“To have Max as a team-mate is not a nice part of your career," Marko admitted. “At some stage, you have to recognise there is someone who is special and it’s just not possible to beat him.
“It’s my job to make them understand that. Is that cruel? I don’t think so," he insisted.
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