Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko may do a lot of talking, but when it comes to rookies you’d be crazy not to listen.
The Austrian executive is the team’s head of driver development, and has helped bring them eight drivers’ titles and six constructors’ championships thanks to his ability to spot talent.
Striking gold with four-time champions Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel, he’s also brought winners like Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz to the sport, and is now adding two more to the list.
Liam Lawson will be racing for Red Bull this season, while Isack Hadjar has come up from Formula 2 to join sister team Racing Bulls.
Hadjar is one of five new faces, though, and Marko, the pre-eminent voice in the paddock when it comes to youngsters, has given his thoughts on all of them.
Starting with F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto, who was signed by Sauber after beating this year’s crop to the title, Marko doesn’t have too much hope for a driver who will very likely be driving the slowest car on the grid this year.
“I would classify him as a B driver,” he said of the Brazilian. “He’s a very intelligent driver: he won the Formula 3 championship, but with just one victory, and he usually stays out of trouble.
“In Formula 2, he only achieved two victories. He’s a driver who brings the car home safely, has a good command of strategy and tire management, but I don’t see that raw speed in him.”
One driver who certainly has that raw talent is Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes replacement, Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
The Italian 18-year-old was signed after Hamilton ended the most successful driver-team relationship F1 has ever seen, meaning he has extraordinary pressure on his shoulders.
And it’s pressure Marko feels is already getting to the teenager, as he explained: “He’s clearly an elite driver, although he’s under enormous pressure.
“His performance is impressive: he’s already covered around 10,000 kilometres of testing, but he’s also had two serious accidents. You can feel the pressure affecting him.
“Of course, Toto Wolff [team principal and CEO] wants to repeat Verstappen’s story at Mercedes. However, moving directly to an elite team will be a challenge for him. But in terms of potential, he’s certainly a top driver.”
And when it comes to replacing Hamilton, Marko also surprised with his answer about the sport’s latest British talent.
Ferrari academy driver Oliver Bearman will be racing for Haas this year, having already impressed in three substitute appearances in F1.
Not much is known about the London-born talent as he doesn’t have a stellar record in junior Formula, but Marko can spot pace when he sees it.
“He’s a very fast driver, although he’s had a lot of accidents in Formula 2 and Formula 3 because he takes big risks,” the 81-year-old said.
“He pushes himself to the limit. He may not reach the top as quickly as Antonelli, but he’s certainly outstanding.”
As delighted as Bearman and Haas will be by that review, the same can’t be said for Alpine’s Jack Doohan, who is already facing rumours that he’ll be replaced by Franco Colapinto.
“He is a C (category), I don’t think he will complete the season,” Marko simply and brutally said.
As for his own talent, Red Bull have struggled in recent years, bringing back Ricciardo and naming a 27-year-old Nyck De Vries instead of relying on their academy.
They also made the call to sign an aging Sergio Perez from a rival, going against their philosophy, but now they’re back to their roots with Lawson and Hadjar.
We already know plenty about Lawson as he became a full-time driver midway through last season, but Marko has confidence about his French colleague too.
“Hadjar lost the (F2) championship by just four or five points. Our data analysts calculated that he lost around 80 points due to technical glitches and other issues,” he said.
“So he’s incredibly fast. I’d say that if he continues to develop well and learn to control his emotions, he also has the potential for the A level.”
