Marko amazed at "unbelieveable" Verstappen after Japanese Grand Prix victory

An amazed Helmut Marko said Max Verstappen's Japanese Grand Prix victory was "unbelievable", taking his first win of the 2025 Formula 1 season.

The Dutchman took a stunning pole position on Saturday at Suzuka, putting a troublesome RB21 on pole in front of the two McLarens who had dominated the free practice sessions earlier in the race weekend.

He then converted that superb lap, holding onto P1 at the start of the Grand Prix to hold the papaya-coloured cars behind with some tactically brilliant driving.

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After the Grand Prix, Marko was full of praise for Verstappen's victory, amazed at what the Dutchman was able to achieve.

"It's unbelievable," the Austrian advisor tells F1TV. "53 laps, absolutely no mistakes. And also tactically, as soon as Norris got closer or was in the DRS zone, two-tenths were immediately added. Unbelievable."

Yuki Tsunoda had the opportunity to prove himself in the Red Bull team this weekend in his debut for the Austrian team. Although his first qualifying session for the team was far from impressive, Marko was still pleased with his performance.

"In all the other sessions, he was pretty near, two to three tenths to Max. That's what we are looking for," the Austrian explained.

Isack Hadjar also received a lot of praise from Marko: "I've been impressed since the first time he jumped in the car. His speed surprised all of us, but also the coolness which he showed. Fortunately, he got points. I think he would have had points when the strategy would have been correct the last two races. But generally, we are really happy to have such a new talent in our team."

Liam Lawson returned to the Racing Bulls team this weekend but had another challenging weekend. But Marko has confidence in his recovery: "Qualifying was a problem, but I think he will recover, and I hope in the next couple of races that he also makes it in the points," concluded the Red Bull advisor.

This article was written in collaboration with Mitchell van de Hoeft