Superior Verstappen is back: ''Doesn't want to say he was restless''

Max Verstappen is back after his dominant victory in Imola. That is the opinion of Helmut Marko, who still had the feeling that his pupil was not quite there during the first races.

In the first three races of the 2022 Formula 1 season, Verstappen had a lot of bad luck. The reigning world champion was in second place in Bahrain and Australia when his car broke down, while in Saudi Arabia he managed to snatch victory from Charles Leclerc in the final laps. In Imola, however, he showed his class again.

With a win in qualifying, the sprint race, the main race and also the fastest lap, the Dutchman achieved a unique Grand Slam. ''Max drove a superior race with impressive confidence. I don't want to say that he was restless before this, but now his sovereignty is back,'' said the Austrian at Sport1.de.

According to Marko, Verstappen's revival also has to do with the RB18. It is now better balanced and the tyres wear less quickly. ''Then Max can get everything out of the car, but we still have room to improve,'' the Red Bull advisor remains critical. One big advantage over 2021 is that at least Verstappen no longer has to do it alone.

''Last year with Max we had the fastest man, but Perez is now also better integrated within the team and understands the car better and better. Then a one-two at some point is the logical consequence,'' Marko said of Red Bull Racing 's first one-two since Malaysia 2016.