Red Bull Racing chief advisor Helmut Marko has been involved in Formula 1 for more than 50 years.
Marko had a short racing career in Formula 1, racing for Bonnier and BRM between 1971 and 1972, although he failed to score a point.
The Austrian was a 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and raced in the British Saloon Car Championship, but is much better known for his role at Red Bull.
He started running Red Bull’s driver development programme more than 20 years ago and has overseen the development of some of the best drivers in the sport’s history.
Although the first few drivers to come through the Red Bull junior team didn’t reach the pinnacle of the sport, the emergence of Sebastian Vettel highlighted how effective Marko’s management was.
The likes of Daniel Ricciardo, Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, Carlos Sainz and Yuki Tsunoda have gone on to have successful Formula 1 careers to name just a few drivers who have progressed through the Red Bull development structure.
However, Max Verstappen is by far the best example of his work, and Verstappen threatened to quit Red Bull if they parted ways with Marko last season.
The latest drivers Marko has played a role in helping to reach F1 are Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar.
Lawson has been named as Verstappen’s teammate after just 11 Grand Prix starts, which puts him under pressure but also slightly lowers his expectations.
Hadjar, on the other hand, was the final driver on the grid to be confirmed for 2025 which has limited his preparations after finishing runner-up to Gabriel Bortoleto in Formula 2 last season.
However, Marko has already compared Racing Bulls’ newest star to one of the greatest drivers ever to race in Formula 1.
Helmut Marko has already called Isack Hadjar a mini Alain Prost ahead of Racing Bulls debut
Hadjar was asked what his driving style is like on track and replied: “I don’t know if it shows, but I’d say very thoughtful.
“I’ll use my instinct when I have no choice, but otherwise, I’m very analytical.
“I like to have all the data. And you see, the F1 format, for example, FP1, FP2, FP3, before going into qualifying.
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“I prefer that to five free practice laps in F2 and then climbing up the qualifying ladder.
“So, I’d say that I’m a real hard worker and yes, I’m very thoughtful behind the wheel.”
Hadjar was then told that he had been compared to Prost in that regard and continued: “I don’t know if it has anything to do with my approach, but I’m sure it does.
“Or in relation to the way I think, but Helmut [Marko] told me that I’m a Mini Prost, that’s it!”
Isack Hadjar has a lot to live up to if he wants to replicate Alain Prost’s success
Only four drivers in the history of Formula 1 have achieved more than Prost’s 51 victories throughout his career.
Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel currently hold that accolade and there isn’t another active driver currently closing in on that tally.
Hadjar’s contract only runs until the end of the season, which is the typical length of any Red Bull’s drivers deal when they first enter F1.
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Race victories are going to be out of the equation for Hadjar straight away unless he can replicate the heroics of Vettel and Pierre Gasly who achieved the team’s only wins, both at Monza.
Instead, the young Frenchman needs to get as close to Tsunoda as possible to justify Red Bull’s decision to promote him.
Tsunoda is expected to leave Racing Bulls at the end of 2025 and Hadjar will be hoping he doesn’t follow him out of the door.
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