When Red Bull chief savagely slammed NASCAR star's F1 dream

An image of Danica Patrick doing F1 punditry — Photo: © IMAGO

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When Red Bull chief savagely slammed NASCAR star's F1 dream

The American is now part of Sky's coverage team

Chris Deeley

Wednesday 30 April 2025 04:00

With Formula 1 hitting Miami this weekend, Danica Patrick is likely to be in attendance as a pundit, but once upon a time, her chances of driving in F1 were savagely put down by Red Bull chief Helmut Marko.

Patrick had a long career in motor racing, competing in both IndyCar and NASCAR, and at one stage, there was even speculation about the former IndyCar rookie of the year joining the F1 circus.

However, this never materialized, and it's clear, looking at previous comments from Marko, that significant doubts over Patrick existed.

The Red Bull chief said back in 2013 that Patrick simply wasn't good enough to be considered for a seat at Red Bull, pointing to her performances at 'road' courses in IndyCar as a reason.

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Speaking more than a decade ago, Marko said: "You have to look at Danica's results in the road races – It's not enough. We are looking for drivers based on performance, not by quota."

Marko: Patrick's results weren't good enough

Lauda's point remains salient to this day, with Logan Sargeant's disastrous spell at Williams the only second time an American driver has competed in F1 in the 21st century (along with Scott Speed).

"It has to be said that the technical level in the US does not compare to the level in Formula 1," Lauda said.

"This is also reflected in the drivers. The last American who had success in Europe was Mario Andretti – and that was in my day!"

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Red Bull Formula 1 Helmut Marko Miami Danica Patrick Niki Lauda