Red Bull Motorsport boss Helmut Marko has once again spoken openly about the preference for Max Verstappen and at the same time emphasized in which category the dominator is now on the same level as record world champion Lewis Hamilton.
After Sergio Pérez’s retirement, Max Verstappen literally won the constructors’ championship for Red Bull in Japan on his own at the weekend. The Dutchman, who is also preparing to win his third Drivers’ World Championship title in a row, has already collected 400 points, a whopping 177 more than his teammate and 210 points more than record champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes).
Verstappen, who is 13 years his junior, is getting closer and closer to exactly his abilities, as Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko now emphasized.
“Max Verstappen has taken his speed up a notch, is carrying on with ease at the moment and is simply driving incredibly well,” said Marko in a media round on the sidelines of the Japanese GP and added with a view to Hamilton: “Max is in his tire management “It’s actually gotten even better. He’s fast and controls the tires in the way you’re used to from Hamilton.”
The Brit is widely regarded as one of the greatest tire whisperers of all time.
With Pérez, however, there were problems again. The Mexican had to park his car early after a collision – but then returned to the track to avoid taking a five-second penalty with him to the Grand Prix in Qatar.
“Thank God we were able to serve the penalty here,” said Marko about the strange incident. “If we hadn’t served the penalty here, we would have had to serve it in the next race.” However, that wouldn’t have been bad because of Pérez, but because of Verstappen, Marko admitted.
“Our strategy is to give priority to Max,” said the Austrian. And that is why Pérez is also important as a strategy element. “In the event of a safety car deployment, for example, we would send him out in such a way that Max is not hindered,” said Marko.