Daniel Ricciardo revealed that despite being 'discovered' and developed for Formula 1 by Helmut Marko, as part of the Red Bull programme, he did get a hard time from the Doctor but has no regrets while retaining big respect for his former boss.
The tale of Ricciardo's rise from half a season at HRT, to Toro Rosso and finally Red Bull where he usurped Sebastian Vettel, a four-time World Champion, in his first season of trying. When Vettel moved on to Ferrari, Dan's shares were soaring and even more so when he made easy pickings of Daniil Kvyat.
When the Russian got the axe and Max Verstappen was promoted to the A-Team, the writing was oin the wall for the big smiling Aussie as the Dutch prodigy went on to win his first race as a fully-fledged Bull and has since continued to rise to the point that he leads the current F1 championship race, aiming to add another to the one he won last year.
As for Dan, it went downhill from the moment he opted to not hang around Verstappen's team, rather than be number two to the best in the business he sought to move on. He has paid the price from being with a winning team and winning regularly, to years in the wilderness with his career at the lowest ebb it has ever been.
Ricciardo: My admiration or respect for the man has remained unchanged
Asked during the weekend in Austria if he gets roasted by Marko for having made the move away from red Bull, Ricciardo replied: Helmut gave me a lot of shit over the years, so didn't need to sit down… after I left there was no need for that any more!
"I would say that obviously, I have less interactions with Helmut these days but of course, I would say the relationship is still the same. It's very honest, very Helmut. My admiration or respect for the man has remained unchanged. He's a good guy.
"So, no, ‘I told you so’. That's part of the sport. And we'll move on," insisted Ricciardo whose best years were with Red Bull.
Marko recalled in a recent interview with Red Bulletin: "In his first year at Red Bull, he beat [Sebastian] Vettel by three wins to nil.
"Max coming on the scene was at a crunch point in his career. Rather than taking up the fight, [Ricciardo] wanted to keep his distance. And you know what happened next. That's too bad. He was always nice to work with.
"His speed is comparable to that of Max, but he's just lacking that ultimate consistency," explained Marko of the difference between Ricciardo and Verstappen.
Marko: Gasly too many excuses, Albon too nice
The Australian's departure to Renault left an unexpected gap in their driver programme which forced Marko to fast-track Pierre Gasly to the role of Verstappen's teammate. That did not turn out well.
Marko explained the problem with Gasly: "He was looking for excuses instead of tackling his own mistakes."
But the demotion to Toro Rosso, now AlphaTauri, due to Ricciardo's defection has brought out the best in Gasly who has also done the near impossible, impress Marko.
The Red Bull F1 consultant said of Gasly's transformation: "He is the team leader and doing incredible things. Like his compatriot Francois Cevert, he is fast, cheeky, and devoted to the beautiful things in life."
After Gasly came Alex Albon, but life with Max was simply too much for Albon who too was "sent upstairs" to the Big Team too soon.
Marko said of the driver they still sponsor, albeit at Williams: "Alex is very fast, but I wonder if he’s too nice. He's a bit like David Coulthard, who everyone likes, but wasn't tough enough in the end."
Coulthard of course drove for Red Bull in their first season in 2005, until the end of 2008.
For 2021 Red Bull went outside their pool and signed Chewco Perez
Sergio Perez was roped in from out of the Bull-pen as they had simply run out of options, and a smart choice that is proving to be as the veteran Mexican is the closest a teammate has been to Verstappen.
"He arrived with a win under his belt and he was in a positive mood," Marko said of Perez. "Then he met Max. This led to a certain amount of uncertainty, especially in qualifying. He chooses his own hotels and lives within the team with his own advisors. I don't know exactly what they all do, but they are very nice people."
As for Gasly's current teammate, feisty Yuki Tsunoda, Marko said of their "problem child" last week: "He is prone to outbursts of anger, but he is bloody fast, whatever you say.
"We believe in him and his huge potential. When he isn't under stress he's incredibly funny and likeable. Everyone likes Yuki, even if no one can blow their top quite like he does," added Marko, a former F1 driver and Le Mans winner.
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