F1 News: Helmut Marko on Max Verstappen - "He was trained very harshly by his father"
Helmut Marko has provided some insight into Max Verstappen's intense training as a prodigy trying to progress into F1, which he believes has made Verstappen such a difficult teammate.
Verstappen has developed a habit of comfortably dispatching his teammates in recent years, with the likes of Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly being comprehensively blown away by the Dutchman.
Red Bull has found a very suitable teammate for Verstappen in the form of Sergio Perez, who has managed to secure important podiums and occasional race victories for the Austrian team.
With that said, Helmut Marko has explained how the newly crowned Double World Champion is developing into an intimidating prospect for potential teammates.
Christian Horner explained in Mexico that Red Bull and Lando Norris held brief contract talks before Norris eventually agreed on a multi-year deal with McLaren.
Norris' commitment to McLaren is evident, but some have speculated that the prospect of becoming Verstappen's teammate has deterred the 22-year-old from joining Red Bull.
Speaking in an interview with Car and Driver, Helmut Marko explained the difficulties associated with facing Verstappen in the same machinery:
"Having Max as a teammate is not good for your career. Max is very special.
"He was trained very harshly by his father but with great success.
"For example, when he was less than 10 years old, they were in Italy, and as soon as it started to rain, all the other drivers went to the cafeteria.
"Max had to stay outside, sometimes with frozen fingers. That's why he's so good in the rain.
"He can adapt immediately."
The extreme nature of this training is questionable at best, but there is no denying Max Verstappen's prowess and adaptability as a driver.
Regardless of this borderline regime, it is clear that Verstappen is consistently driving at the elite level, so Red Bull will look to preserve Sergio Perez's steady progress with the team.