Helmut Marko sends ‘peak’ Max Verstappen warning to Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton


Helmut Marko sends ‘peak’ Max Verstappen warning to Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton

Max Verstappen

The Formula One 2021 championship ended in the most dramatic fashion, as a one-lap final showdown decided the fate of the championship. As things panned out, it was Max Verstappen who claimed his first ever title, denying the chance for Lewis Hamilton to win his eighth championship.

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Helmut Marko, Red Bull advisor believes that Max Verstappen is nowhere close to his peak performance, and his best is about to come. Marko explained that the Dutchman exceeded all expectations with his qualifying performances in Jeddah and Abu Dhabi, and competed with Mercedes, despite having an inferior package for the final two races.

He is a driver who I’m sure is not at the end of his abilities,” Marko told the BBC, as quoted by PlanetF1.

We saw his qualifying performance at the last two races, in Jeddah and Abu Dhabi. He did qualifying laps that were so much more than the car could deliver. And that’s why we believe we haven’t seen the climax of Max Verstappen. The more he wins, the more relaxed he gets,” he added.

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Helmut Marko recalls what impressed him most about a young Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen

Helmut Marko first spotted Max Verstappen in Formula 3, when he was aged just 15. Marko explained that Verstappen’s hunger to win impressed him the most. Marko stated that after having two or three weeks of talking with the Dutchman, he decided that a prodigy like him deserves to go straight to the F1 circuit.

“His determination or his will to win…he knew what he wanted to do. We were talking about the future and so on and after two or three weeks we said ‘forget all the other junior activities, we go straight into Formula 1,'” he added.

Helmut Marko added that Max Verstappen is a very emotional and passionate driver, and all he thinks is about winning on the track. The Red Bull advisor opined that in his early days, Max used to be a stubborn driver, but has matured with age and experience.

He learned quite rapidly. He’s very emotional, which he was controlling more and more. He can be quite stubborn. But he matured without losing his very strong characteristics. But also his personality – which was already young, was quite strong – is getting even more,” said Marko.

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Also Read: ‘If you lose, you have to accept it,’ Helmut Marko urges Mercedes to take the loss in the right spirit