Helmut Marko admits being Max Verstappen’s teammate is ‘not the nicest thing’ in F1
Helmut Marko confessed that it was not easy for a driver to be Max Verstappen's teammate at the pinnacle of motorsport.
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Helmut Marko and Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)
Max Verstappen is a driver with exceptional talent and skills within. He is known for his fearless and aggressive approach to racing. His ability to manage races, make strategic decisions, and adapt to changing conditions is outstanding. The Dutchman has the ability to outperform anyone on the track, just like he did to the seven-time-world champion Lewis Hamilton in 2021. Red Bull’s motorsports consultant Dr Helmut Marko pointed out that it’s not easy to beat Max Verstappen being his teammate.
Red Bull driver Sergio Perez has been struggling with his performance recently with the same car which Max Verstappen drives. However, Verstappen on the other side has won seven races till now showing an amazing start to the season. Helmut Marko stated that the team needs to find ways to improve the car’s handling better in next races. He believed that with some improvements, the car can become more stable and easier to drive for Checo. The 81-year-old highlighted that for Perez to be the Dutchman’s teammate is tough. The 26-year-old is highly skilled and dominant, and to match his level of performance is near to impossible for Checo. However, the Mexican has won races in the past and proven his worth, but in the current season he lacks that.
We believe that we can turn it round and make the car more stable for [Checo]. To be teammate to Max is not the nicest thing in Formula 1, Checo has his merits, he has won races.Helmut Marko said, as reported by ESPN
Helmut Marko stated that Red Bull’s recent discussion after the last race of the first half, was not just about the drivers. They also discussed how to improve the overall performance of the cars. He explained Red Bull had routine discussions on what changes could be made to fix the current problems. Their main goal is to make the car easier to handle, which would help the drivers perform better. Therefore, they aimed to make the car more user-friendly for drivers so that they can compete strongly.
Our discussion was not just about drivers, it was regular discussions we had of what we can do to improve the situation? We have to try to make the car more easy to drive.Helmut Marko added.
Helmut Marko claims Sergio Perez struggles more with car’s handling compared to Max Verstappen
Helmut Marko explained that when the RB20 becomes difficult to drive, Max Verstappen’s exceptional talent becomes even more noticeable. He noted that if the car feels unstable, the Dutchman doesn’t let it slow him down, he simply acknowledged that it felt a bit tricky but kept pushing. However, Sergio Perez finds the car much more challenging to handle and often described it as difficult or nearly impossible to drive. This difference highlighted how the 26-year-olds skill allowed him to manage a tough car better than Pérez could. Therefore, Marko mentioned it is tough for checo to be Max Verstappen’s teammate
The more difficult the car is to drive, the more the difference to Max comes out because he's such an outstanding talent. If the rear steps out he won't lift the throttle, he just says, 'yeah, it's a little bit nervous,' Checo says 'it's difficult' or 'its undriveable.Helmut Marko stated.
Certainly, Helmut Marko emphasized that even if they had not brought major changes to the car, Verstappen would’ve managed to drive it. But for Perez, he couldn’t manage to drive such a car. Therefore, Red Bull decided to try to make a car more easy to drive, and more balanced, suitable for both the drivers.
In case you missed it:
- Sergio Perez does not deserve to stay at Red Bull
- Helmut Marko asserts Daniel Ricciardo failed to fulfill criteria for promotion to Red Bull
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Gaurang Kadam
(535 Articles Published)