Helmut Marko admits Max Verstappen ‘can’t drive to the limit’ at every race amidst stiff competition in 2024

Max Verstappen emerged victorious in Spain after an intense strategic battle with Lando Norris.

Helmut Marko admits Max Verstappen ‘can’t drive to the limit’ at every race amidst stiff competition in 2024

Max Verstappen, Helmut Marko, and Christian Horner (Via: Imago)

Red Bull began the season with its 2023 spirit and aimed to win all of the races. However, as the season has progressed, the Austrian squad has fallen into the clutches of its rivals and has a serious threat on its back. The win in Spain and Canada was after a series of tough weekends for Red Bull in Monaco and Miami. This urged Helmut Marko to assert that Max Verstappen cannot stay flawless for the whole season amid tightening competition.

Max Verstappen currently leads the driver’s standings by 69 points. Despite this lead increasing in the last two rounds, the threat of it collapsing has been increasing week by week. Ferrari and McLaren have found untapped performance in their cars and have snabbed away wins from Red Bull. However, the Dutchman has been pulling out magical drives and has been securing wins when his teammate has been trundling around the rear.

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Witnessing this exceptional performance, Helmut Marko feared that the same level of results might not be possible to keep up for the whole season.

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Max[Verstappen] can't drive at the limit like that for a whole season. The overtaking maneuver that put him in the lead was exceptional, even for him. Max wins because he is so confident, not because the car is great
Helmut Marko said in an interview with OE24

The Austrian elaborated that Verstappen’s overtaking maneuver into turn one at the Spanish GP was pivotal in securing the race win in Spain. He further stated that the Dutchman currently wins due to him being confident and not due to the pace of the car. However, this has led him to fear the possibility of Verstappen losing in the near future as the RB20 slows down, then even Verstappen won’t be able to snatch wins away from his rivals.

Helmut Marko gives a curt response when asked about Sergio Perez’s performance slump

While on one end, Red Bull is winning races with its one driver. On the other hand, Sergio Perez has barely managed to score points every weekend. The Mexican has scored a total of eight points in his last four outings, leading fans to question Red Bull’s decision to extend his contract.

Red Bull's Helmut Marko with Sergio Perez
Helmut Marko with Sergio Perez (IMAGO)

Subsequently, when the 80-year-old was asked about Perez’s performance, he gave an interesting reply.

Checo[Sergio Perez] started much further back. But that's true. Now that everything is coming together like this, you can't afford any weaknesses.
Helmut Marko said in an interview with OE24

At first, Marko defended the 34-year-old by claiming he started on the fringes of top-10. However, he soon emphasized that the field is tightening up, and thus, Perez cannot afford any weaknesses.

Despite Marko’s concerns, Perez has admitted that McLaren is ahead of Red Bull at the moment. This has created a peculiar situation within the team as the Mexican has seemingly conceded defeat to his rivals while the team requires him to perform to save the constructor’s titles from falling out of grasp.

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