Helmut Marko has claimed former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner “did not agree” with promoting Max Verstappen back in 2016.

While it looks like an obvious decision with hindsight, there were plenty who thought the 16-year-old was being moved up the ladder too quickly.

Christian Horner ‘did not agree’ with Max Verstappen promotion

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Already a youngster by F1 standards, Verstappen had just 23 races on his CV before suddenly finding himself in the Red Bull seat at the expense of Daniil Kvyat.

After just one year with Red Bull’s sister team, Toro Rosso as it was called then, Red Bull promoted Verstappen to the senior team four races into the F1 2016 championship.

The Dutchman not only won on his debut, but he would also go on to add another 70 grand prix wins to his tally, and claim four world titles on the trot from 2021 to 2024.

10 years on from Verstappen’s Red Bull debut, former motorsport advisor Marko claims there were those in the team that did not believe the driver was ready, one of which was Horner.

“Max’s teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. was very disappointed that we did not choose him,” Marko told De Telegraaf. “But for us it was a clear and simple decision.

“Team principal Christian Horner did not agree with promoting Max after only four races in 2016, he was against it. Just like many rivals and critics attacked me and said Max was far too young and that this was a dangerous move.”

While Horner may debate just how true that claim is, what cannot be debated is how much of a believer Marko was in Verstappen even early on.

The Austrian met Verstappen when the latter was just 15 years old and was quickly taken by him and his potential.

When Kvyat, another Toro Rosso to Red Bull graduate, struggled in the first team, Marko suggested he and late owner Dietrich Mateschitz had to act.

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“Kvyat crashed twice in that race,” Marko said of the Russian GP which cost Kvyat his seat.

“The year before he had still performed properly and was sometimes even faster than Daniel Ricciardo, especially in the rain. But in 2016 he was no longer the same driver and from the first test day he was complaining about the brakes. It was clear we had to do something.

“Jos [Verstappen] already sensed it was coming. He called back and asked something like: ‘Should we come to Graz?’. Deliberately I still did not say what it was about, but a day later we were already together in Austria. We knew we were going to get a lot of criticism. But fortunately both Jos and I were used to such attacks.”

The decision paid off with Verstappen winning his first race after title favourites Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg crashed on the opening lap.

Marko described that moment as “huge relief” for him and Mateschitz.

“It was an unbelievable race. That Mercedes crash was of course a bit lucky, but after that Max immediately showed his class. He was faster than teammate Ricciardo and in the closing stages Kimi Raikkonen spent lap after lap within a second behind him.

“Even though Kimi was faster on the straights, he could not overtake Max because he drove in such a smart and mature way. Even Jos and Max’s manager Raymond Vermeulen could hardly believe it.

“For me personally, and also for Dietrich, it was an enormous relief. People thought we were crazy, but now we could silence all the critics.”

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