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Marko left irritated after qualifying due to Russell's crash in Q3
Helmut Marko is certain that Max Verstappen would have been able to get pole position if George Russell hadn't caused a yellow flag with his crash in Q3. The external Red Bull advisor is still confident the Dutchman will do well in the United States Grand Prix.
Does Marko believe Verstappen could've got pole position?
Verstappen made a mistake at turn 19 during his first run in Q3. He finished less than one-tenth behind Norris when the chequered flag dropped. But Marko believes Verstappen would've beaten it second time around. "Max was a tenth ahead until the yellow flag. The last sector was always strong, so pole was possible," Helmut Marko told ServusTV.
Verstappen and Norris will go head-to-head in the United States Grand Prix. The McLaren driver struggled with tyre management during the sprint race compared to others around him and Marko knows this will be important on Sunday. "I think it is crucial how the tyres will wear. The race is long, the temperatures should be even higher."
He assumes "Max will definitely be strong." Despite Red Bull initially labelling Ferrari as the main competition in Austin, Marko recognises that McLaren has taken a step forward. "You could see that both cars were significantly better than in sprint qualifying," Marko said.
This article has been created in collaboration with Sandy van Wijngaarden