Helmut Marko rubbishes claims that Red Bull is developing cars that suit Max Verstappen

Helmut Marko stated that Red Bull does not focus car development around Max Verstappen.

Helmut Marko rubbishes claims that Red Bull is developing cars that suit Max Verstappen

Dr. Helmut Marko (image via PlanetF1), Max Verstappen (image via The Mirror)

Max Verstappen is currently dominating Formula 1 at Red Bull. The two-time world champion has stayed at Milton Keynes since his mid-season promotion in 2016. Over the years, Verstappen has managed to outperform multiple teammates after the exit of Daniel Ricciardo. Many have alleged that the Austrian team has focused car development around the Dutch driver. Now, Red Bull consultant Dr. Helmut Marko has ended such claims.

Marko clarified that such allegations are false despite Verstappen being miles ahead of teammate Sergio Perez this season. The Red Bull advisor pointed out that the understeer of the RB-18 at the start of 2022 had proved to be a major issue for Red Bull. He said, as reported by Motorsport Magazin, “No, that is not true [on RB developing to suit Max]. At the beginning of 22, the car suffered a lot of understeer.”

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Lq5YjFX1Bqc

Helmut Marko cited the extra weight of the RB-18 as the cause for the nature of the car. The 80-year-old claimed that a car needs to have a neutral balance and be of the right weight to achieve success in the long run, even if a driver like Max Verstappen drove it. The Red Bull advisor said, “This was due to the car being overweight. In the long run, you will not be successful with an overweight car, but as the car became lighter.”

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Max Verstappen leads Sergio Perez with a gap of over 100 points

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez after Qualifying at the Belgian GP (Credits: @FastestPitStop/Twitter)
Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez after Qualifying at the Belgian GP (Credits: @FastestPitStop/Twitter)

Sergio Perez trails Verstappen by a massive gap of 125 points. This points deficit equates to the points awarded for five race victories. As such, this proves the sheer talent and pace of the two-time world champion this year. On the other hand, this is a major cause of concern for Perez as the Mexican driver tries to secure his seat at Milton Keynes.

Although, Checo is not the only driver to struggle against Verstappen as his teammate. Previously, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon failed to match the Dutch driver at Red Bull. However, the Mexican driver has no choice but to step up his performance in the second half of the season as the threat of a returning Daniel Ricciardo looms over Perez.

Thus, Helmut Marko has clarified that Red Bull does not develop the car in a direction that would aid Max Verstappen. The Milton Keynes-based team simply tries to negate the issues of its cars and extract performance, as was the case with the RB-18 in 2022. As such, it seems that Verstappen truly is on another level compared to Sergio Perez.

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