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Marko heard frustrated Verstappen: 'Lambiase said he must continue'
Helmut Marko saw Max Verstappen secure pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix on Friday. It wasn't easy despite a fairly substantial lead at the end. The Red Bull Racing driver only got one chance in Q3 to clock up a fast lap.
It soon became darker and colder in Sao Paulo, it even started to rain. So for Verstappen - and his fellow competitors - it was a matter of proving himself straight away.
"In the first part we only used a fresh set, otherwise we were on used tyres. In Q2, Max set his best time on used tyres," said Marko, who saw the track first improve and then decrease because of the weather conditions. "It got slower instead of faster. Normally it's the other way around."
Verstappen on pole
The track temperature dropped, the wind increased, and that made it difficult to set the right lap in Q3. Verstappen thought he had thrown it away after the first few hundred metres. The 26-year-old Dutchman lost more than half a second compared to his time in Q2. Nevertheless, it turned out to be enough.
"He was just cursing [...] His race engineer told Max to keep going. He was afraid he was almost turning into the pits because it felt so bad," said Marko, who once again saw his pupil excel in the harsh weather conditions. "Max adapted the best."