Ferrari has made a good choice by signing up Carlos Sainz for 2021, according to Dr Helmut Marko.
As the head of Red Bull’s notorious and successful driver development program, Marko brought the Spaniard into Formula 1 in 2015.
"First of all, Carlos is a great guy," Marko is quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"He is also smart and fast. At the start he was simply unlucky that Max Verstappen was coming in at the same time. But I am convinced that Carlos will benefit Ferrari now.
"If Carlos wants to become a race winner, then he will have to learn how to overcome difficulties, such as the struggle with Charles Leclerc.
"Why didn’t we take Sainz? Because we have Max," Marko insists. "Our policy is to have the best driver with a good teammate."
That means there is also no room at Red Bull for another former Marko charge - Sebastian Vettel.
"We communicate at least once a month," Marko said. "Sebastian is a talented and very successful driver.
"Does he want to pursue his career? I don’t know. Only he can make that decision.
"Unfortunately for him, the positions in the top teams are filled," Marko told the Austrian broadcaster ORF.
"If there is no prospect for him somewhere at the top in the medium term, let’s say two years, I do not think he will go to a midfield team. I think he will stop then."