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Helmut Marko turned 79 in April, but insists he can only see himself leaving his position at Red Bull if he is “fired”.

The Austrian serves as head of Red Bull’s driver development programme and acts as a senior advisor to the team, being a prominent and outspoken member of the Formula 1 paddock.

He was also an F1 driver himself, contesting nine grands prix across 1971 and 1972, while in the first of those years he also won the Le Mans 24 Hours in a Porsche.

A school friend of Jochen Rindt, the 1970 World Champion, Marko has been in his current role since 2005 when Red Bull entered the sport and also has a say in operations at AlphaTauri.

At the age of nearly 80, many would feel it was time to wind down and opt for a quieter life rather than travelling around the world working at Formula 1 races, but Marko does not envisage doing that any time soon.

Asked in an interview with Auto Hebdo what gives him the energy to keep going, Marko replied: “Everything is a story of passion and I am a great enthusiast. I love this sport and I love winning.

“None of my activities are stressful for me. I feel good and as long as I can continue to do this job properly and I don’t get fired, I will!”

Of course, it is easier to feel the motivation to continue when you are being successful, and that is very much the case for Marko and Red Bull at present.

Max Verstappen, one of the prodigies he played a major role in bringing through, became World Champion last year and is on course to retain the