‘He’s a much more mature driver’ Helmut Marko amazed by the performance Max Verstappen gave in the 2022 winning campaign


‘He’s a much more mature driver’ Helmut Marko amazed by the performance Max Verstappen gave in the 2022 winning campaign

Max Verstappen and Helmut Marko

Max Verstappen won his second title on the wet track of Suzuka. He was unrivalled throughout the race-winning it by a gap of 25+ seconds to the second-best Sergio Perez. The costly mistake by Charles Leclerc on the last chicane got Verstappen his title in a very climatic way. Helmut Marko didn’t hide his feelings and was superbly happy for the Dutchman and his second title at a very special track in Japan.

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Helmut Marko praised Verstappen’s form for the 2022 season and his mature driving all over the season after a very intense fight last season with Lewis Hamilton. However, this season wasn’t the same in terms of pressure. Ferrari wasn’t really a worthy team that could give Verstappen a run for his money and neither could Leclerc. Marko saw a different Verstappen inside the car as compared to the one last season.

Helmut explained his reaction to a few of Max’s amazing drives: “He’s far more relaxed. He’s a much more mature driver. At Budapest or Spa, in the first corner on the first lap (when Verstappen started in the midfield), ‘I thought, who is in this car?’ He let cars pass and once he was in free air, bang, then he showed his class. It’s a big step and I think it’s not the end of what we have seen from his performance,” said Marko.

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Helmut Marko on Max Verstappen’s future in the sport

Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen after winning the 2022 season has equalled Fernando Alonso in almost all of the stats. It’s now fair to state Max is among the top ten drivers in the history of the sport. Some could also compare him to the likes of Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton as Max is just 25 years old and has a lot more years left under his bag.

Marko shares his views on Max Verstappen’s chances of breaking the record set by the greatest of all time: “I thought the record of Michael never could be broken and then Lewis did the same amount. I think there have to be so many factors together that you can achieve something [like that]. But he’s not the type who goes for records; I think one day he will say, ‘Fine’, and he will walk away,” added Marko.

Max Verstappen managed to cap off a brilliant season, sealing the title with more than four races to go. Verstappen can definitely go on and break the record for the most races won in a single season. Ferrari will need to outscore Red Bull by 19 points in Austin to delay the inevitable.

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