“Max Verstappen is the man,” Helmut Marko snubs Sergio Perez and backs the Dutchman to deliver in Miami
Helmut Marko expects Max Verstappen to have the edge over teammate Sergio Perez, even after the Mexican’s Baku masterclass.
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Sergio Perez, Helmut Marko and Max Verstappen
Red Bull has been showing unparalleled dominance in the 2023 F1 season. With the team stamping their authority on the field, the only title fight that appears to be happening is between their two drivers – Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Now Red Bull’s racing advisor, Helmut Marko, has made it crystal clear which side he is picking Max in the battle for the win in Miami GP.
Sergio Perez has outclassed Max Verstappen in all metrics on the streets of Baku and is now only 6 points behind the defending champion. Looking ahead to the upcoming race in Miami, Marko believes that Verstappen will once again have the edge over his teammate, stating, “There I see Max in front again. And I’m sticking to my guns: over the season, Max Verstappen is the man; he’s the more consistent one.” While Perez had a strong weekend in Azerbaijan, Marko is confident that Verstappen will bounce back in Miami, where he won the race last season.
Charles Leclerc took the first non-Red Bull pole of the season at Baku, duking two-tenths over them, but could not match, let alone beat their race pace. Marko expects this to mirror at Miami as well, but the Austrian is confident that Red Bull will take the race, with Verstappen leading the charge. “In qualifying, as in Baku, [Charles] Leclerc could be fast, [but] the race should be ours again.”
Helmut Marko says the team will not intervene in the teammate battle
Last year, Verstappen and Perez were closely matched in the first half of the season, but after the Canadian GP, Verstappen’s RB18 became more oversteer, which worked in his favor, while Perez dropped off the title race. However, the team has stated that they have found a sweet spot for the car tuning to suit both drivers. With the RB19 being a much better car overall, it seems that Verstappen and Perez will be able to fight it out for the title this year.
Despite the intra-team battle, Marko is confident that the team atmosphere will remain good and the team will not have to intervene. “You don’t have to worry about the atmosphere in the team; it’s fine,” he said. “As long as we are superior, such a team-internal fight is good for everyone.” He added, “As long as everything stays within reasonable bounds, we won’t intervene.”
With Red Bull continuing to dominate the competition, it appears as if the title fight will be between their drivers, and Marko has stated that he expects Verstappen will win again. While Sergio Perez has proven to be a strong contender, Marko still prefers the Dutchman. It remains to be seen whether any other teams will join them for the title clash.
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Rohit Bhaskar
(727 Articles Published)