Helmut Marko dodges questions about Max Verstappen but evokes « frustration »
Helmut Marko didn't comment directly on the controversial incident between Max Verstappen and George Russell at the F1 Spanish Grand Prix, but he did mention « a certain frustration » that would have affected the four-time world champion.
The main topic of discussion after Sunday’s race at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit was the collision, seemingly deliberate, of Max Verstappen with George Russell.
A difficult race for the Red Bull driver
The race shifted after the intervention of the safety car, as the Dutchman was forced to use the hard tires. Red Bull had opted for a three-stop strategy, which meant that Verstappen no longer had any soft tires available.
With hard tires, Max Verstappen found himself vulnerable and was immediately overtaken by Charles Leclerc. George Russell attempted an attack that forced him off the track at turn 1.
The four-time F1 World Champion maintained his position by going off track, which mistakenly led Red Bull to instruct him to let George Russell pass.
That’s when the controversy erupted, as Verstappen collided with Russell at Turn 5. Questioned by Sky Germany after the race, Helmut Marko did not directly mention the incident. “I would say he was leading for a long time, then because of that tire choice…” he stated.
But as I said, we had no other option and we didn’t know that this tire would be so bad during the warm-up phase. There was some frustration, which was reflected in his driving style.
Helmut Marko admits that the hard tire was the wrong choice.
The timing of the safety car put Red Bull in a tricky situation. The team could have left Max Verstappen on track with his worn soft tires to maintain the lead against the McLarens.
Instead, she opted for the hard tires, which were unpopular and unused by anyone else during the 66 laps of the race. These tires struggled to warm up, causing a significant loss of grip for Max Verstappen out of the final corner.
It cost him third place to the benefit of Charles Leclerc, after a slight contact on the pit straight.
« We understood that we had to take a risk to hope for something, » explained Helmut Marko.
« And it was that three-stop strategy. Unfortunately, the safety car came at the wrong time. We only had the hard tires available, and it was clearly the wrong choice. This tire was particularly poor in warming up. And we saw Max’s evasive maneuver after the restart. But that’s how it is: when you take a risk, it can also backfire. »
« Max obviously understood that he had no grip because of those tires, he almost lost the car. And then there was this situation with Leclerc. I don’t wish to go into the details about that either. »
Read also: Is Max Verstappen reverting to his old ways?
