Ex-Red Bull F1 star reveals 'threatening' Helmut Marko call

Dr. Helmut Marko at Silverstone — Photo: © IMAGO

Red Bull

Ex-Red Bull F1 star reveals 'threatening' Marko call

Helmut Marko's harsh words have been revealed before a race

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Saturday 29 March 2025 19:58 Updated: 21:21

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Ex-Formula 1 and Red Bull driver Jaime Alguersuari revealed the ‘threatening’ call he received from Helmut Marko during his junior career, following a recent discussion about the team's junior drivers.

Liam Lawson has been replaced by Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull after only two grands prix weekends, with the Kiwi’s Q1 exits and failure to finish in the points sealing his fate.

Alguersuari raced in 46 races with Red Bull's sister team Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls) from 2009 until 2011, and was the youngest ever driver to enter F1 at 19 years old before Max Verstappen broke that record at 17 in 2015.

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The Spanish driver was also supported by Red Bull throughout his junior career, and in an interview with talkSPORT revealed what it was like to be under Marko’s mentorship.

Marko’s harsh mentoring style revealed

Alguersuari unveiled the brutal message Marko delivered to him ahead of the 2008 Formula 3 finale but also commended the Red Bull chief for the pressure he put on him, saying: "I have to say that Helmut Marko made my life, he was my university.

"I'm not his friend, but I don't regret that he put so much pressure on me because he made me stronger.

"We didn't have a friendship relationship because we didn't have to, but he put me into that zone.

"I remember in 2008, British Formula 3, where I was just fighting for the championship in the last race at Donnington Park, and he literally called me before the weekend.

"That phone call wasn't a support call. It was actually a threatening call. And he actually said, ‘if you don't win the championship, you're out of the program’. So that was the end of my career. And it was a one minute call - and I won the championship."

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Red Bull Max Verstappen Helmut Marko Yuki Tsunoda Liam Lawson Formula 3