Helmut Marko says Max Verstappen leaving Red Bull F1 would be understandable if they do not deliver him a competitive car.
The Milton Keynes-based squad started the season with a pace advantage. Verstappen maximised it with four wins from the first five F1 Grands Prix of 2024. He was leading at Albert Park before the brake issues hit.
From there on, the limitations of the RB20 reared their head. Miami was the start of it, and it got worse. The low point was Monza as they were the fourth fastest car around there.
Nonetheless, the Dutchman still won in Imola, Canada, Spain, Brazil and Qatar to take nine wins across the year. He finished 63 points clear of Lando Norris in the end.
A generational drive from P17 in the wet at Interlagos was key for Verstappen as McLaren and Ferrari outpaced Red Bull throughout the second half of 2024. Pérez’s struggles saw them fall to P3 in the Constructors’ Championship.
There is a lot of work to do for Red Bull over the winter. On the evidence of the end of last season, a fifth straight title for Verstappen looks unlikely.
Marko: Red Bull F1 need to make steps with the car to keep Verstappen
Speaking to Sport Bild, Helmut Marko is fully aware that Red Bull needs to work on their package to give Verstappen a shot at the Drivers’ Championship in 2025.
With Aston Martin and Mercedes reported to have interest in the four-time World Champion, the next couple of years will be key for Red Bull. If they get the 2025 car wrong, and they are way off the pace when the new regulations come in next year, a potential exit could be possible.
“We have to provide him with a car that enables him to win under his own steam. It can be one to two-tenths of a second slower than others, but unlike last year’s car, it has to be competitive throughout the season and on every track.
“If we don’t manage that, there’s no reason for Max to stay with us. You have to be realistic about that.”
Marko says Verstappen able to extract more out of a car than other drivers
As usual, the former racing driver from Austria was quick to laud the 27-year-old as well.
Marko believes Verstappen is able to pull out an extra tenth or two compared to the other drivers on the grid.
“Max is not only the fastest but also the best in Formula 1 in terms of the overall package.
“He gets 0.1 to 0.2 seconds out of the car per lap which no other driver can find.”
Hamilton at Ferrari
This week has been dominated by Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time World Champion and winningest driver drove a Ferrari F1 car for the first time. He drove at Fiorano in the SF-23. More testing via TPC is inbound before 2025 pre-season running in Bahrain.
Marko says that Verstappen would beat Hamilton in a mediocre Red Bull package at present.
Although he won two races in 2024, Hamilton had huge qualifying struggles. Nonetheless, his race pace was exceptional at times.
“Lewis Hamilton still has the speed, but over a full season? I have my doubts about that. Even if he has a good Ferrari and we only build Max a mediocre Red Bull, I would put my money on Max.”
The Austrian added that Hamilton needs to “be careful that he doesn’t fall into a negative spiral like he did at Mercedes if his start at Ferrari doesn’t go his way.”
Co-Author: Lena Ferle
