Red Bull F1 Motorsports Advisor Helmut Marko believes Max Verstappen’s championship lead to Lewis Hamilton would have been greater without the “more than 50 points” he had “innocently” lost. ing.
After winning the F1 US Grand Prix last weekend, Max Verstappen is 12 points ahead of Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton in the remaining five races.
Helmut Marko cited the F1 British Grand Prix, the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix and the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix as examples of how Max Verstappen should have been ahead of the standings.
At the F1 British Grand Prix, Max Verstappen retired after contacting Lewis Hamilton on the first lap. Hamilton was penalized for 10 seconds but won the race.
At the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Max Verstappen’s left rear tire burst and retired on the remaining five laps while running at the top.
At the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas overshot the first corner. Lando Norris, who was hit by a rear-end collision, came into contact with Max Verstappen and was damaged by the car, so he finished in 9th place.
“Before the last three races, in fact, we were afraid to be significantly late,” said Helmut Marko.
“The bottom line is that we scored more points than Hamilton in these Grand Prixes, mainly because Hamilton’s race in Turkey was fifth, while Max finished second in Sochi. I’m sure I was lucky because of the rain. “
“But more notably, we lost Baku, Silverstone and Hungary innocently. Carefully calculated points lost are over 50 points in these three races.”
“As a result, we are currently only 12 points ahead, so we were able to overcome all these retreats and cope with the rise of Mercedes.”
Helmut Marko believes Max Verstappen will need at least two more wins in the remaining five races to win his first F1 title.
“Looking at the rest of the race, I think we need at least two more wins to be reasonably safe or confident in the final race,” Helmut Marko said.
“The high altitude courses in Brazil and Mexico should be very suitable for us. Anyway, a lot is already happening this season.”
“The so-called Mercedes truck is ultimately not the Mercedes truck, but the Red Bull truck.”
Asked how likely Max Verstappen would win an F1 title, Helmut Marko said, “If you win the next two races, Max will be 60-40.”
Helmut Marko feels that it is the smallest factor that can affect the competitive balance between Mercedes and Red Bull, and that it is Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton that make the difference.
“It’s very balanced, and the form, tarmac, and even temperature of the day is very important,” Helmut Marko added.
“Mercedes seems to be much faster to get their machine to the right setup. We have more complex machines and on average it takes longer to do that. Still maximal. There are only two drivers to pull out. It’s our Max and Mercedes Hamilton. “
“No. 2 drivers (Sergio) Perez and Bottas are already reliant on God. He raced sensationally in Turkey and above average in Austin.”
“But in the end, these two exceptional drivers will continue this duel, whether it’s a Mercedes car or a Red Bull car.”
“Overall, it’s the drivers that make the difference, and those drivers are so strong that Verstappen can beat the faster Mercedes with hard tires.”
Category: F1 / Red bull / Honda F1 / Max Verstappen
