{"id":19639,"date":"2022-12-21T11:55:58","date_gmt":"2022-12-21T11:55:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/?p=19639"},"modified":"2022-12-21T11:56:01","modified_gmt":"2022-12-21T11:56:01","slug":"helmut-marko-makes-controversial-comment-about-driver-who-said-n-word","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/helmut-marko-makes-controversial-comment-about-driver-who-said-n-word\/","title":{"rendered":"Helmut Marko makes controversial comment about driver who said n-word"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Red Bull Junior Team is one of the most prestigious elite sport youth academies on the planet, with some of the biggest names in Formula 1 today having come through the remarkable system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda, and Carlos Sainz are just some of the drivers who made it to the pinnacle of motorsport through the system, with each having varied levels of success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The one thing they all have in common, though, is that they were very successful at a junior level, something which ultimately resulted in each driver being promoted to F1, typically starting life at AlphaTauri (or Toro Rosso, as it was formerly known).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The usual route for a Red Bull junior driver is to join the team during their junior career, resulting in them completing their days in the lower categories with the backing of the Austrians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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READ: Toto Wolff makes surprising claim about Mattia Binotto\u2019s Ferrari exit<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned, if successful then Red Bull usually promote them to AlphaTauri first, before eventually moving them into the main Red Bull outfit should they be good enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is exactly what happened with Verstappen and with Vettel, amongst others, proving that their system of generating talent worthy of racing in F1 is working; however, it appears to have grinded to a halt ever so slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following Gasly’s move to Alpine, the Red Bull family had an opportunity to promote a junior driver into AlphaTauri, to race alongside Tsunoda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, though, they opted to poach 27-year-old Nyck de Vries from Mercedes, due to not believing that any of their drivers were ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s the first real time that the Red Bull family have looked beyond the horizon for a driver to join AlphaTauri, especially as it blocks the route to F1 for the likes of Liam Lawson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another opportunity to promote a junior driver could come in 2024, with Tsunoda being out-of-contract at the end of 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that in mind, Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko was asked how the junior team is currently looking, with the Austrian appearing to favour Isack Hadjar, who claimed four wins in 2022 during his rookie F3 campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“First and foremost the Frenchman Isack Hadjar, whom I call the little Prost because he looks like the big one,” Marko told Auto Motor und Sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Exclusive: Activists tell Lewis Hamilton to think of Roscoe as they demand action https:\/\/t.co\/Q5doLqZivI<\/a><\/p>— Formula1News.co.uk (@Formula1newsUK) December 20, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote>