Helmut Marko: 2023 Net Worth, Salary, and Endorsements

Can you imagine Red Bull Racing being the team it is today without drivers like Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, and Max Verstappen? Had it not been for them (and so many others affiliated with the Red Bull family) and the legacy they?ve created, it?s safe to say Red Bull wouldn?t have been the Red Bull we know today. Had it not been for Helmut Marko, there?s a high likelihood that none of the aforementioned drivers would have gotten their shot at Formula 1.?

Before Helmut Marko made his mark as a Red Bull key figure, he was a racing driver himself. Born on April 27, 1943, in Graz, Austria, Marko fell in love with motorsport at quite a young age. Following a successful stint in endurance racing?winning the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans?and a short stint in F1?10 races in 1971 and 1972?he was forced to retire. At the 1972 French GP, a stone pierced through his helmet visor and blinded his left eye permanently, effectively ending his racing career.

In 1989, he got back into the racing circuit, not as a driver but as a Team Principal. He set up RSM Marko, a team competing in Formula 3 and Formula 3000. As an Austrian and a close friend of Red Bull founder, the late Dietrich Mateschitz, Marko made the first step to bring Red Bull into the motorsport industry. He renamed RSM Marko to Red Bull Junior Team in 1999. While the team competed only until 2003, it helped kick-start the Red Bull driver development program in 2001 as we know it today.

Since its inception, Marko has been driving the program?scouting and nurturing young talent and giving them the avenue to enter F1. In 2005, Red Bull officially entered the championship as a constructor. A year later, Red Bull?s sister team, Scuderia Toro Rosso (now Scuderia AlphaTauri) joined the sport as well. While Marko plays a significant role in both teams? functioning, AlphaTauri is almost entirely under his jurisdiction.?

Marko has very high standards and expectations from his drivers. Because of the authority he has, he and Red Bull management have become notorious for mid-season driver swappings and sackings. Case in point: AlphaTauri rookie Nyck de Vries getting replaced by Daniel Ricciardo this season. But his high expectations and constant pressure have also helped nurture a few of the best talents the sport has ever seen. Case in point: Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.

On-track Achievements

As mentioned earlier, Marko?s racing career was very short-lived. In the 10 F1 races he competed in between 1971 and 1972, he drove for BRM and McLaren, but couldn?t score any points. While his time in F1 wasn?t anything to write home about, his performance at the 1971 Le Mans is the highlight of his racing career. Driving a Martini-Porsche 917K and partnering Gijs van Lennep, they won the prestigious race.?

While that?s as far as his racing achievements go, if his achievements with Red Bull count, he has many more. After giving Vettel a shot at F1 with Toro Rosso in 2007, the German gave the Red Bull family its first win in F1 at the 2008 Italian GP. A year later, he got promoted to the works team, and from there, Vettel didn?t look back. 20010 to 2013 were Vettel?s years. He won four championships in a row, and with Mark Webber alongside him, they gave Red Bull four Constructors? Championships as well.

Can Max Verstappen be considered an achievement? If so, he?s another one of Marko?s. In 2014, when the Dutchman was competing in F3 and impressing, Marko saw potential in him. He told his Austrian compatriot Toto Wolff that Verstappen reminded him of Ayrton Senna and that he has all the assets to succeed at the pinnacle of motorsport. Wolff didn?t see the same spark in Verstappen, but Marko trusted his gut and snatched him up for an F1 drive in 2015.?

Verstappen joined Toro Rosso as a 17-year-old, and a year later, he was promoted to Red Bull (in a mid-season swap). Driving in his first race for Red Bull at the 2016 Spanish GP, the Dutchman won it. Since then, he?s won 50 more races and three Drivers? Championships. He?s also broken innumerable records along the way.?

So, considering everything, Marko has a Le Mans win to his name, seven Drivers? Championships, and six Constructors? Championships.

Helmut Marko at Red Bull

Marko isn?t an official employee of Red Bull Racing, but he?s played a key role in the team since its foundation. Because of how close he was to Mateschitz, they worked together to build Red Bull, with Marko acting as a consultant and advisor to Mateschitz. Once Red Bull got off the ground, Marko continued that role and became Red Bull?s Motorsport Advisor.

His biggest responsibility in the organization is looking over the driver development program. Additionally, he also plays a crucial role in driver selection. But because he has the authority, and has high expectations, he?s also infamous for switching drivers between teams very often. When Daniil Kvyat started underperforming in Red Bull in 2016, he promoted Verstappen and demoted Kvyat. The same thing happened with Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon in 2019. This year, when De Vries? didn?t live up to his expectations at AlphaTauri, Marko saw Ricciardo?s performance in one test session and gave him a call to replace De Vries.

He also acts like Red Bull?s spokesperson often, but that hasn?t always worked out in his favor.

Helmut Marko?s controversies

In 2020, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Marko suggested that Red Bull drivers should go to a camp and intentionally contract the virus. Why? Because it would help build immunity. Considering the virus was deadly in a lot of cases, people widely criticized his comments for their lack of sensitivity and disregard for public health concerns. In an interview with Road & Track, he addressed these comments.?

?I was serious. Doctors believed once you had it, it?s over. That you can get it a second and third time wasn?t known then. And we have young, strong people. It?s like a flu. Imagine if [Max] Verstappen would have got it last year at the wrong moment. The championship would?ve been gone if he had to miss one or two races,? he explained.

Most recently, the Austrian received a lot of backlash for his xenophobic comments against Sergio Perez. The Mexican Red Bull driver hasn?t had the best time in the team this year. His form has been quite erratic, with him struggling to hold on to P2 in the championship. In light of his subpar form, Marko said, ?We know that [Perez] has problems in qualifying. He has fluctuations in form. He is South American, and he is just not as completely focused in his head as Max [Verstappen] or as Sebastian [Vettel].?

Considering he attributed Perez?s form to his ethnicity, people weren?t happy. A few days after Marko?s comments, he publicly apologized and even had a one-on-one conversation with Perez to clear the air. Although Perez forgave him, Lewis Hamilton wasn?t too pleased with how Red Bull handled the situation. Considering Marko is affiliated with the team, Hamilton expected some action against the advisor. But neither did Red Bull make a public statement about the comments nor take any action against Marko.

Helmut Marko?s Net Worth

Owing to his racing career, his role at Red Bull, and having dedicated his life to motorsport, Marko is estimated to have a net worth of $1.5 million. For a motorsport career that has spanned five decades (and counting), it makes sense that his net worth is this much. As for his salary, that isn?t too clear, especially considering how he isn?t an actual employee of Red Bull Racing.

Helmut Marko?s Endorsements

Helmut Marko isn?t particularly known to have any sponsorships or endorsements. Since he joined Red Bull, his only focus has been on the team and its functioning.

How to contact Helmut Marko?

The Red Bull Motorsport Advisor isn?t active on any social media platforms.