Source:REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
[Saba Sports News] The name Helmut Marko resonates loudly within the F1 community, yet the details of his life are known to very few. Over his 80 years, Marko’s life story has been nothing short of extraordinary; he is a doctoral graduate, a lawyer, a hotel owner, a manager, a talented racer, and the eternal godfather of the Red Bull team.
Marko was born in Graz, Austria, and in his youth, he attended the same private school as future F1 world champion Jochen Rindt. In the early 1960s, while pursuing a law degree, he began racing alongside Rindt. However, due to pressure from his parents, Marko prioritized his studies and only officially started his racing career after earning his doctorate in law in 1967. Initially, he participated in lower-tier Formula Vee races. In 1969, he moved up to Formula 3, driving the Porsche 917K.
In 1971, Marko reached the peak of his racing career, partnering with Dutch driver Gijs van Lennep to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans and setting several records. In 1972, he reportedly signed a preliminary contract with Ferrari, but an unexpected incident occurred during his ninth F1 Grand Prix, where he was hit by a pebble, resulting in permanent blindness in his left eye, thereby ending his racing career.
After retiring from racing, Marko returned to his hometown and successfully established several hotels. In 1984, he founded the RSM Marko team and also served as the manager for numerous drivers. By the 1990s, due to his friendship with Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz, he was invited to become a youth development advisor for Red Bull Racing and, starting in 2003, served as the team leader for the Red Bull Junior Team in Formula 3000.
In 2005, he officially returned to F1 as the motorsport director and advisor for Red Bull Racing. Through nearly 20 years of hard work, he has led the Red Bull team to seven drivers’ world championships and six constructors’ championships.