Marko: "My goal is to make Verstappen youngest champion ever"

Now that the future has been decided for Red Bull Racing, both in terms of engine partners and in terms of drivers, the team's advisor Dr Helmut Marko has set his sights on making his pupil Max Verstappen the youngest champion in F1 history.

Firstly, the Austrian reflected on Daniel Ricciardo's departure from the team, with the Aussie leaving for Renault next season. Although Marko understands the switch, he does predict that it won't be a good switch in terms of sporting success and winning races.

"Unfortunately, Daniel wanted a new challenge," Marko told ServusTV.

"I understand that, but it's a pity for us to lose him.

"However, I'm convinced we won't get to see a 'shoey' next season, because we'll be firmly ahead of Renault.

"Daniel knew that, but he just wanted something new."

After this, Marko commented on Red Bull's switch from Renault to Honda, ending their relationship with the French that lasted well over a decade. Still, for Marko, this is a step up, despite Honda not having shown to have a top engine just yet.

"Since 2014, Renault hasn't been good enough, so we didn't believe all of their promises anymore.

"With Honda, we get much more resources to work with and we're almost like a factory team.

"That's the only way to become champions in the current era."

Yesterday, news also came out of Pierre Gasly being the one to replace Ricciardo at Red Bull next season. Despite the Frenchman having just spent a year in the F1 at that point at Toro Rosso, Marko is convinced he'll flourish after making the step up to the Bulls.

"Gasly is an amazing talent and he'll make good steps in 2019.

"I expect him to be a good replacement of Ricciardo by the halfway point of next season."

So, what is the goal for the coming few years for Red Bull Racing? The Austrian is very clear on this matter, as he wants to make history.

"My personal goal is to make Max Verstappen the youngest world champion ever," Marko concluded.