Max Verstappen claimed his sixth race victory of the season this weekend. Under the neon lights of Las Vegas, he pushed title rival Lando Norris back to second place and made a significant comeback in the world championship, thanks to the subsequent disqualification of both McLaren drivers. Top advisor Helmut Marko was full of praise for Verstappen’s performance and also stated that Red Bull has once again got its affairs in order.
Speaking to Austrian Servus TV, Marko dutifully sang Verstappen’s praises. “An incredible race,” he said of the latest victory by the Red Bull driver. “He took the first corner extremely sovereignly.” Polesitter Lando Norris tried to squeeze his title rival, but ended up on the dirty asphalt himself. Verstappen held his racing line and overtook him in the first corner. “The remarkable thing was that McLaren told Norris to attack; that he should try to take Max back. We passed that on to Verstappen. From that moment on, he really went for it: he recorded one fastest lap after another.”
‘Convincing Victory’
Even in the very last lap, Verstappen further improved his own times, Marko reported. The Austrian was taken aback by the audacity of the four-time world champion, but was no less impressed. “It was a convincing victory,” he concluded satisfactorily. “Of course, he drives the fastest time in the last lap, with a considerable margin. You can’t get that out of him, but it’s not without risks,” he added with a grin.
Marko was not only proud of Verstappen, but also praised the role of the team in this latest triumph. After costly mistakes in São Paulo, Red Bull showed itself to be razor-sharp in Las Vegas. “We kept a close eye on everything and kept our tire wear under better control,” Marko explained. “We stayed out the longest and Max also had reserves left. In that respect, our setup was absolutely the right one.”
