Red Bull F1 sealed Max Verstappen's future and it only took them 20 minutes

Verstappen eerlijk over moeizame seizoenshelft: "Over het algemeen was het zwaar" — Photo: © IMAGO

Max Verstappen

Red Bull sealed Max Verstappen's F1 future and it only took them 20 minutes

Helmut Marko got the job done

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson F1 Editor

Motorsport journalist covering F1 since 2024

Tuesday 11 August 2026 18:45

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Max Verstappen's F1 future is up in the air right now, but Red Bull once tied up his future in just 20 minutes according to his father Jos.

Although Max has gone on to establish himself as a four-time world champion with Red Bull, before he had even turned a wheel in the sport it was undecided which path he would take.

Both Red Bull and Mercedes were very keen on signing the then up-and-coming driver in 2014, but with Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton on the books at the Silver Arrows, Toto Wolff could only offer Verstappen an F2 drive at the time, with the guarantee of an F1 seat the following season.

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Red Bull, though, also had their junior team Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls) in play, and swooped to sign Verstappen, offering him a seat in F1 one year earlier than Mercedes.

The 20-minute conversation that changed F1 history

Some 12 years later, Jos Verstappen has now looked back on those negotiations in an interview with AutoHebdo, revealing the key moment that Red Bull secured his son's services.

As it turns out, former Red Bull advisor and driver whisperer Helmut Marko played a key role, and it only took 20 minutes.

"We already had the same team around us, manager Raymond Vermeulen, who is a good friend of mine. It was him, Max, and me, and that’s still the case today. So we were very well prepared," explained Verstappen.

“Toto Wolff and Helmut Marko were both in talks with us. They were pushing to sign him. And we did our job, finding the best environment for Max.

Marko sealed Verstappen's F1 future in just 20 minutes.

“I remember it well. I was at Hockenheim, and it was a typical conversation with Helmut. He came over to our table and said, ‘I only have 20 minutes'. I told him that was more than enough time to talk. His opening line was: ‘I want Max with us in F1 next year’ [in 2015].

“Because Max was so young, I thought he needed a first year to settle in, and that he could then show how good he was in the second year.

“But he adapted so well. He had such a great first year in 2015 that they promoted him to Red Bull as early as the second year. That was a good thing.”

The rest, as they say, is history, with Verstappen proving to be an instant F1 success, promoted to Red Bull in 2016 and going on to win four world championships and counting with the team.

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