Helmut Marko

Helmut Marko (born 27 April 1943) is an Austrian former racing driver and motorsport executive who competed in Formula One at ten Grands Prix from 1971 to 1972. In endurance racing, Marko won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1971 with Martini. He founded RSM Marko in 1984, which later became the Red Bull Junior Team; from 2005 to 2025, he served as an adviser to Red Bull Racing and its related teams in Formula One, winning six World Constructors' Championship titles between 2010 and 2023. Born and raised in Austria, Marko progressed to sportscar racing by the late-1960s after completing his doctorate in law at the University of Graz. Finding success in the European Touring Car Championship and becoming a class winner at the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans with Martini, Marko progressed to the premier class the following year and won the race in then-record distance alongside Gijs van Lennep. Less than two months later, Marko debuted in Formula One with Bonnier at the German Grand Prix, driving a privateer McLaren M7C. He joined BRM for the remainder of the 1971 season, and retained his seat in 1972. Marko was seriously injured during the 1972 French Grand Prix, when debris projected by the March of Ronnie Peterson pierced his visor and left him permanently blinded in his left eye, ending his racing career at the age of 29. Upon retiring from motor racing, Marko moved into team and driver management, founding RSM Marko in 1984, which became the Red Bull Junior Team in 1999. With Red Bull, Marko oversaw the development of two Formula One World Drivers' Champions—Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen—and was an adviser to Red Bull Racing from 2005 onwards, winning six World Constructors' Championships with the team; the graduates of his development programme...