Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko is confident that Max Verstappen will never join Mercedes as he continues to celebrate his maiden F1 title win. Verstappen, 24, took the championship following a sensational finish at Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which saw the Dutchman overtake Sir Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the race before taking the chequered flag in dramatic fashion.
Regardless, it’s unlikely the young star is going to be moving on anytime soon, as after his win in Abu Dhabi he expressed his desire to drive for Red Bull “for a long time,” a pledge he reiterated this week.
And Marko, 78, believes he has the capability to become the team’s greatest ever driver, despite Sebastian Vettel winning four consecutive titles for the British team between 2010 and 2013.
“[He is] the fastest, most consistent and most aggressive driver we’ve ever had”, the Austrian stated, before going on to compare him to Ayrton Senna.
“These two drivers are comparable in terms of their mentality, their personality and their aggressiveness. We are lucky to have someone like that.”