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Marko says Verstappen's Brazil victory was "psychological humiliation"
- Corwin Kunst
Max Verstappen 'psychologically humiliated' the competition at the Brazilian Grand Prix, according to Helmut Marko in his column for Speedweek.com. Red Bull Racing's team advisor saw the reigning world champion take another step forward this year in his Formula 1 career, with many wondering whether Verstappen could do any better than he showed in 2023.
2023 was one of the greatest seasons ever put together by a team and a driver, with Red Bull winning all but one race throughout the year, and Verstappen won 19 out of 23 Grands Prix, breaking multiple records that may never be broken again. But despite that jaw-dropping season last year, Marko believes he saw yet more progress from the Dutchman.
"Max has matured further this year," Marko insists. "He was mentally the strongest, as a driver and in the duel, and he has learned to only go for what is necessary. If you had said at the beginning of the year that he would just let Lewis Hamilton and the two Ferraris go [on the tarmac] because he was thinking purely about the world championship, you would have called that nonsense. But he did it because he knows what to focus on."
Marko amazed by Verstappen at Interlagos
One of the key moments of the season that backs up what the Austrian advisor mentioned was the performance from Verstappen in Sao Paulo. There, he all but sealed the championship and his fourth consecutive title, driving to victory from P17. At the end of the race, he even had a 20-second lead over Esteban Ocon, and on top of that, he set the fastest race lap seventeen times (!) by the end of the race.
"That was a psychological humiliation for the competition, he outclassed everyone and proved once again why he is one of the best [ever] in this sport. For us, and also for him, that is the top priority," Marko said. "We are not concerned with journalists' ratings or any degree of popularity. The world title is awarded based on points and they clearly speak in Max's favour."
Marko has his say on the British press
This year too, Verstappen had the English media against him more often than not, although they recovered towards the end of the season. Then there were certainly compliments for the 27-year-old Dutchman too. "It is true that there is not necessarily an objective balance in the English media. But I think there is also the phenomenon at play here that whoever appears as the new, potential star or chaser always gets more sympathy than the established champion. But it doesn't matter to Max, he always says what he thinks and shows his emotions," concludes the 81-year-old Austrian.
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy
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