Helmut Marko was notorious for his brutal reign over Red Bull’s development programme. He cut several drivers from their F1 line-up over the years, but he also let great talents slip from his grasp.

Under his regime, the Austrian gave a pathway for several young drivers to join the Red Bull project. Marko was pivotal in Max Verstappen’s promotion to the main team, but he was also responsible for numerous driver sackings.

The likes of Liam Lawson, Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, Daniil Kvyat and Jaime Alguersuari are just a few among several drivers that were axed under Marko. He has admitted to getting some decisions wrong over the years, and one he might regret is losing George Russell and Lando Norris.

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Helmut Marko brutally turned away George Russell and Lando Norris after driving Red Bull simulator

Speaking on the High Performance Podcast, former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner shared how drivers such as Russell, Norris and Oscar Piastri were paying to use their simulator in their junior days.

Horner quickly discovered that the trio were actually faster than the Red Bull juniors. However, when he put it to Marko that they should look at them, he simply brushed them aside.

“Well, I never had responsibility for the young driver programme,” said Horner. “I mean, I remember George Russell was paying us to go on our simulator, as was Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

“Their Dads were writing cheques for them to run on the driver simulator that we had. And the guy that was looking after it was coming up to me and saying, ‘Christian, these kids are better than the juniors we’ve got at the moment.’

“I remember taking them to Helmut and going, ‘Look, I really think you should look at these guys.'” Horner then brushed his hand to the side and said: “‘W——,'” suggesting that Marko was incredibly dismissive about signing them.

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Russell would go on to sign with Mercedes, and joined the main team in 2022 after three years with Williams. Norris joined McLaren, making his F1 debut in 2019, and he has stuck with the team throughout his career, which has paid off after he won the 2025 championship.

Piastri signed with Alpine, but left the team for McLaren in controversial fashion. He partnered with Norris in 2023 and has been his teammate ever since.

Red Bull have remained interested in the trio over the years, especially the McLaren duo. Last year, Red Bull made ‘serious attempts’ to sign Norris, but he pledged his allegiance to the Woking outfit.

Horner has even said he would sign Piastri over Norris for Red Bull. The Aussie’s links to the team have been going on as recent as this year, as he was tipped as a candidate to replace Max Verstappen if he decided to retire from F1 – both will stay with their teams for 2027.