Helmut Marko "angry" with father of new Red Bull starlet over "deliberate" act
Juan Pablo Montoya believes Helmut Marko is "still angry" with him, more than two decades on from their brief spell working together.
The Colombian won seven Formula 1 Grands Prix in 94 stars in his career, and that was after already having won the prestigious Indianapolis 500 IndyCar race. But before any of that, he got his big break in Formula 3000, racing for RSM Marko.
The team was named after boss Marko, who was himself a former driver and has since gone on to become well-known as a long-serving adviser to the Red Bull F1 team. Montoya believes the Austrian helped his career no end, but recalls Marko as being a difficult man to work under.
"It was tough at the time, but in the end he made me a better driver," he told Motorsport.com. "He always yelled that I had a lot of problems and that I was crazy and everything. But he did so with the right intentions. He was pushing me all the time to be a better person.
"I remember one time he invited me to have lunch at his house. I was served a salad, but I didn't eat vegetables in those days. He then made me run back to his office. It was more than an hour of running. At the time I was very angry with him, but looking back I realise it was his way of pushing me forward."
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Recalling how he missed out on the title that year, Montoya believes Marko still holds a grudge. "He is angry with me to this day," the 47-year-old added. "He thinks I deliberately let the championship run in the penultimate round in Mugello. We simply had the top gear set incorrectly. Every time I went to top gear, the engine started to stutter, because the gear was made too long.
Helmut Marko has a reputation for strictness in his role overseeing the development of Red Bull junior drivers (Getty Images)"Jason Watt sat in front of me. I always rode towards him with playful ease, after which I seemed to pass him. But once in top gear, he drove away from me again. And so it went throughout the race. That was so frustrating. But Marko still thinks I gave away the championship."
Even though their relationship clearly had some ups and downs, the Colombian still has plenty of respect and admiration for Marko. So much so, Montoya's son Sebastian has now signed up to the Red Bull young driver programme to develop under the Austrian's guidance.
He continued: "Most teams give their drivers star treatment and pamper you completely. But Helmut wants to make a man of you and believes that if you want to achieve something, you have to fight for it. I think it's great that Sebastian has been given this opportunity. He can learn a lot there and they have a very good training program.
"Now it's up to him. I am here for him and will give him all the help I can, but everyone knows how Red Bull works – he will have to perform. I hope it works out well for Sebastian, that he can show great things and that he can grow within Red Bull."
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