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Helmut Marko can't believe his luck with Max Verstappen

Marko can't believe his luck after Verstappen's win in Austin

19 October at 21:49
  • Tim Kraaij

Helmut Marko cannot believe his luck after Max Verstappen's sprint victory. According to the Austrian, his Verstappen pulled a rabbit out of the hat, although a cynical thank-you also went to Ferrari.

Max Verstappen got away well at the start of the sprint race and was soon able to increase the gap to Lando Norris to over two seconds. Halfway through the race, it briefly looked as if Norris could get closer, but Verstappen had more pace, surprising Marko and his team as well.

Marko proud of Verstappen

"We compared the condition of the tyres with Norris's. We thought our rear tyres were coming on fast, but Max had that under control and controlled the whole race from the front," Marko told ServusTV after the sprint race.

"If the Ferraris had shown a bit more teamwork, they could have made it even harder for Norris," Marko stated. Nevertheless, the Red Bull Racing top man was happy with Norris finishing third, allowing Verstappen to take two points in the battle for the world championship.

According to Marko, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are favourites for Sunday's Grand Prix. The Austrian stated that if the two Ferraris had not fought each other, they could probably have made things very difficult for Max Verstappen as well.

This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton