Verstappen success helped by Red Bull unsung hero as Marko speaks out

27 December 2023 , 11:23

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Verstappen success helped by Red Bull unsung hero as Marko speaks out

Franz Tost has been hailed as the man who prepared world champions Max Verstappen and Sebastien Vettel for their spells with Red Bull.

Tost served as AlphaTauri's Team Principal for the final time at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He had led Red Bull's junior team for well over a decade, leading them to their first ever win in the Italian Grand Prix back in 2008, where Vettel took the chequered flag.

It was at AlphaTauri, then known at Torro Rosso, that Tost helped a young Verstappen impress in his early Formula 1 days, so much so that Red Bull promoted him after just 23 races in the sport. Helmut Marko has been a hugely influential figure for the team, helping talent spot, but he's paid tribute to Tost following his departure.

He told Sky Sports Germany : "The two World Champions we brought in went to school with him. Franz used to say, 'It takes three years for someone to mature in Formula 1'. However, I told him that Vettel and Verstappen would not need three years, one year of training was enough for them."

"But thanks to Franz's great training, they were championship material almost immediately when they made the switch to Red Bull."

Pierre Gasly was allowed to leave AlphaTauri due to worries over his F1 future

Tost also oversaw the rise of Pierre Gasly, another driver who stepped up from the junior team to race for Red Bull. He later claimed his only race victory at Monza in an AlphaTauri.

Franz Tost helped a young Max Verstappen when he first came into F1

Verstappen is now a three-time world champion after completing a record-breaking season in 2023. The Dutchman took advantage of Red Bull's immensely dominant car to conquer all before him with Tost previously detailing how a young Verstappen immediately reminded him of Michael Schumacher.

He told F1-Insider : “I met Max for the first time with his father at the Nürburgring. He was still driving karts at the time. The next time was at the Norisring in Formula 3. In the rain, he drove in a league of his own, as if he was the only one who had discovered a dry line. He immediately reminded me of Michael Schumacher.

“You could see what a mega talent Max was. After all, we took some criticism when we entrusted him with Toro Rosso at the age of 17, someone who didn’t even have a driving licence. He also did his first training session at Suzuka, one of the most difficult circuits of all. But Max did it all with aplomb. He never had any problems with the great speed of a Formula 1 car, always had everything under control right from the start.”

Samuel Meade