Red Bull breaks silence on Martin Brundle’s accusations of Max Verstappen being ‘deliberately slower’ during Dutch GP

Helmut Marko responded sternly to Martin Brundle's comments of Max Verstappen driving deliberately slow at the Dutch GP.

Red Bull breaks silence on Martin Brundle’s accusations of Max Verstappen being ‘deliberately slower’ during Dutch GP

Max Verstappen, Helmut Marko and Martin Brundle (via IMAGO)

Red Bull’s struggles were evident at the Dutch GP after Max Verstappen failed to score the race win. The Dutchman had a gap of over 20s to the race leader Lando Norris. As a result, Martin Brundle made an untoward comment that the 26-year-old drove deliberately slower. However, Helmut Marko reassured that this wasn’t the case and provided clarity over the claims.

Max Verstappen stuck with a different setup for the Dutch GP and took a ‘gamble’ over the race. These upgrades didn’t fetch any good results for the Dutchman in the main race. Regardless, the 26-year-old wasn’t deliberately driving slower around the circuit. Helmut Marko reiterated that there was no way to confirm these comments from Martin Brundle.

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Martin Brundle's assumption that Max was deliberately slow is wrong, you have no way to confirm it.
Helmut Marko said via speedweek.com.

However, Marko did claim that Lando Norris‘ pace made Verstappen not risk his chances of a podium finish any further. Hence, a P2 finish was the best possible result for the Dutchman in front of the home crowd. Additionally, the 81-year-old noted that the difference in pace with Sergio Perez was just due to the setup.

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When he saw that Lando was on the pace, he didn't take any more risks.
Helmut Marko added.
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Max Verstappen, Helmut Marko and Christian Horner (via IMAGO)

Helmut Marko revealed the factor that made Max Verstappen ‘more vulnerable’ at top speed

Max Verstappen’s start to the race was impressive despite losing the position down the race. Helmut Marko revealed that the downforce was further reduced to improve performance. However, this change worsened the grip in the chassis and made Verstappen furthermore vulnerable at high speeds.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko (via IMAGO)
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko (via IMAGO)
We thought that he would slide less with more downforce. But that made him even more vulnerable at top speed and the tyre wear was still high.
Helmut Marko noted.

Red Bull will have to work desperately on their 2024 season’s form to score a better end to the season. McLaren is currently just 30 points behind Milton Keynes in the constructors’ championship. Hence, the Austrian constructor could be ousted from the top spot in the coming few races.

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