31/10/2021
NEWS STORY
Pointing to the Azerbaijan, British and Italian Grands Prix, Red Bull's Helmut Marko believes that Max Verstappen should be heading into the final five races with a more commanding lead.
While the Dutchman heads to Mexico City with a 12-point comfort cushion, had it not been for the clashes with Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone and Monza, not to mention the tyre failure whilst leading at Baku, there is every chance the youngster could have been heading onto the season's home straight in an even stronger position.
So, says Red Bull's motorsport consultant, Helmut Marko.
"Before the last three races, we actually feared that we would be significantly behind," the Austrian admits to Motorsport.com. "The bottom line is that we scored more points than Hamilton in those Grands Prix, mainly because of Hamilton's race in Turkey where he was only fifth, while Max finished second in Sochi, certainly by luck as well, because of the rain.
"But even more remarkable is we innocently lost Baku, lost Silverstone and lost Hungary," he continues. "If you calculate the amount of points we lost, then it's over 50 points in those three races.
"As a result we are only 12 points ahead now... so we have survived all those setbacks and we have also been able to match the upswing from Mercedes."
With five rounds remaining, Marko believes his protege will need at least two more wins.
"Looking at the remaining races, we have to win at least two more races to be reasonably safe or, let's say, confident going into the final race.
"The high altitude tracks of Brazil and Mexico should suit us significantly better," he says. "It's just that so much has already happened this season. So-called Mercedes tracks weren't Mercedes tracks in the end and the same goes for Red Bull tracks."
Asked what he believes the Dutchman's chances of lifting the title at season end are, Marko replies: "If we win the next two races, then it's 60-40 for Max.
"It's so balanced that the form of the day, the tarmac and even the temperatures are extremely important," he admits.
"It looks like Mercedes is much quicker to get their car to the right set-up," he continues. "We have a more complex car and on average it takes us longer to do it, but still there are only two drivers who always get the maximum out of it. That's Hamilton at Mercedes and Max with us. The number two drivers... Perez thank God is on the up, but also Bottas, he did a sensational race in Turkey and more than average in Austin.
"But in the end these two exceptional drivers keep this duel going, no matter if it's the Mercedes car or the Red Bull that is faster. Overall, it's the driver who makes the difference. And those drivers are so strong that Verstappen can also beat a faster Mercedes on hard tyres."