The claim appears in Horner’s upcoming autobiography, Drive, in which the former Red Bull Formula 1 team principal alleges Marko was against signing Verstappen, and that the driver’s father, Jos, had to intervene to secure the deal.

Mr Marko has now responded to the claim, telling Austrian outlet OE24: "I'm ignoring it as much as possible.

"Ralf Schumacher handled it very well."

Helmut Marko and Christian Horner. (Image: David Davies / PA Wire)

He was referring to Mr Schumacher’s remarks on the Backstage Boxengasse podcast, where the former F1 driver called Horner’s version of events an "absolute lie."

Mr Schumacher said: "Marko approached Max when he was just 11 and a half years old.

"At the time, Jos said it was still too early for him.

"The doctor, as you know him, was a bit miffed and said: 'Okay, if you don't want to, then so be it.'"

Mr Marko supported this account, saying: "It worked out well the way it did.

Max Verstappen. (Image: David Davies / PA)

"Max was successful in karting back then, and we had no idea about that.

"Later in Formula 3, we would have grown closer again, and that’s how this unprecedented success story came about."

He also claimed Mr Horner was the one with reservations about promoting Verstappen just four races into the 2016 season.

Verstappen went on to win his debut race for Red Bull at the Spanish Grand Prix, becoming the youngest winner in F1 history.