Helmut Marko

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Helmut Marko
Marko at the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix
Born	(1943-04-27) 27 April 1943 (age 81) Graz, German Reich
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Austrian
Active years	1971–1972
Teams	Bonnier, BRM
Entries	10 (9 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1971 German Grand Prix
Last entry	1972 French Grand Prix
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	1970–1972
Teams	Martini, Alfa Romeo
Best finish	1st (1971)
Class wins	2 (1970, 1971)

Helmut Marko (born 27 April 1943) is an Austrian former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from 1971 to 1972. In endurance racing, Marko won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1971 with Martini. He founded RSM Marko in 1989, and has been an advisor to Red Bull Racing and its related teams since 2005, winning six World Constructors' Championship titles.

Born and raised in Austria, Marko progressed to sportscar racing by the late-1960s after completing his doctorate in law at the University of Graz. Finding success in the European Touring Car Championship and becoming a class winner at the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans with Martini, Marko progressed to the premier class the following year and won the race in then-record distance alongside Gijs van Lennep. Less than two months later, Marko debuted in Formula One with Bonnier at the German Grand Prix, driving a privateer McLaren M7C. He joined BRM for the remainder of the 1971 season, and retained his seat in 1972. Marko was seriously injured during the 1972 French Grand Prix, when debris from the March of Ronnie Peterson pierced his visor and left him permanently blinded in his left eye, ending his racing career aged 29.

Since retiring from motor racing, Marko has moved into team and driver management, founding RSM Marko in 1989, which became the Red Bull Junior Team in 1999. With Red Bull, Marko has overseen the development of Formula One World Drivers' Champions Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, and has been an advisor to Red Bull Racing since 2005, winning six World Constructors' Championships with the team.