Red Bull has enjoyed many incredible drivers at the wheel of their Formula 1 machinery, including two multi-time World Champions.<\/p>\n
Those crown jewel drivers are Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen<\/a> \u2013 both four-time World Champions with Red Bull \u2013 but when it comes to picking the best racer Red Bull has ever had, Verstappen was the easy choice for senior advisor Helmut Marko.<\/p>\n Max Verstappen: Red Bull\u2019s greatest driver?<\/p>\n Verstappen burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old with Red Bull, starting out with junior team Toro Rosso in 2015 before earning a promotion to Red Bull Racing the following year, Verstappen winning on debut at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.<\/p>\n Skip forward to 2021 and Verstappen began his run of four straight Drivers\u2019 Championships, which included winning 19 of the 22 grands prix in 2023, record-breaking dominance on the way to his third crown.<\/p>\n For Marko, Verstappen sits alone atop the Red Bull mountain.<\/p>\n Asked on the BBC\u2019s \u2018The Inside Track\u2019 podcast whether Verstappen is the best driver he has worked with, Marko replied: \u201cHe definitely is the best driver we ever had, and he\u2019s developing, developing.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd in Imola, this third corner overtake was unbelievable.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I don\u2019t see the end of his progress yet. It always comes something extra. It was like last year the race in Brazil in the wet, from I think, 17th to first, he\u2019s getting faster with less risk and more calm.<\/p>\n \u201cHe doesn\u2019t have to push every lap. He\u2019s really, I wouldn\u2019t say relaxed, but he\u2019s not pushing, or it doesn\u2019t look like he\u2019s on the limit also. It\u2019s just when it matters, he delivers.\u201d<\/p>\n More on Max Verstappen from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 Max Verstappen quiz: How well do you know the two-time World Champion?<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 The truth behind Jos Verstappen, Max Verstappen and the gas station<\/a><\/p>\n Quizzed on what makes Verstappen such a special talent, Marko added: \u201cHe had a tough time with his dad in go-karts.<\/p>\n \u201cHe trained him for all situations. That when you come to a new circuit, you have to be fast immediately, you have to go out in the rain and things like that.<\/p>\n \u201cBut on top of that, he has an unbelievable talent. He had his training, as I mentioned, from Jos, but also, the rest of the time he has, he is on his simulator. So I can\u2019t really say how much it helps, but I believe whatever happens to him, he knows about it because he\u2019d have seen it in one of the simulator situations.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd he\u2019s committed. He is just interested in racing. He does besides that, nothing. He has quite a simple life and all that together makes a very strong racing personality.\u201d<\/p>\n Marko can see that Verstappen\u2019s training to be on the pace immediately has paid off, recalling Japan 2023 as a shining example.<\/p>\n That race weekend followed Singapore, where Red Bull suffered their only defeat of a remarkable 2023 campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cAs I said, he\u2019s still developing, but one thing was already in the beginning, he doesn\u2019t need any warm-up or knowledge, you know,\u201d said Marko.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it\u2019s wet, he goes out and he\u2019s two or three seconds ahead of the others, and then it takes them three, four laps, and they can match the Max time, and that is one of his really strengths.<\/p>\n \u201cOr after we lost the race in Singapore, we went to Suzuka, and his first lap, I can\u2019t remember how much he was in front, but it was immense.\u201d<\/p>\n Verstappen faces an uphill task to make it five World titles in a row with McLaren having emerged as the new leading force. After 12 rounds of the F1 2025 campaign, Verstappen is 69 points behind Championship leader<\/a> Oscar Piastri.<\/p>\n