Max Verstappen finished second during the sprint in Qatar yesterday and took his third championship title earlier than planned. Regardless of the outcome of the remaining races, no one will be able to stay ahead of him, even in theory, but in practice the 26-year-old racer from the Netherlands plans to keep fighting for victories.
Helmut Marko, who was one of the first to pay attention to Max’s extraordinary talents, naturally spares no words of praise for him. But he started his comment with the fact that the Red Bull Racing team has agreed in advance not to organize too noisy celebrations around Max’s championship, because the Qatar Grand Prix still has to be held today.
“I heard it would end at 2am,” Red Bull’s motorsport advisor told Sky Deutschland. – Then the lights had to be turned off, because the mechanics have to be in shape on Sunday, that’s understandable. But it’s possible that someone will still find a way to move on.
I’m absolutely thrilled, this is an incredible achievement. We have been working with Max for ten years now and the results he has achieved in this time are unique in the history of Formula 1. He is 26 years old and still has a lot to achieve.
He wanted to win the sprint, but our tactics were hampered by the appearance of the safety car. Moreover, he saw that Piastri improved and increased the lead. Max also drove two laps at a fast pace, but the tires were already wearing out and in this situation we no longer had a chance to stay ahead of Oscar.
What’s most impressive about Max to me is how much he’s managed to improve his skills since becoming champion for the first time in 2021, while also finding some sort of peace. He hasn’t had a single breakdown this season, he hasn’t made any mistakes and performing at this level at his age is something unique.
At the same time, he remains a very normal boy, he lives his own life, but it is clear that Formula 1 remains the most important thing for him.”
When Marco was asked whether Verstappen could be compared to great drivers such as Ayrton Senna or Michael Schumacher, he remembered his age.
“I think the age factor needs to be taken into account here. “Max only turned 26 a week ago and he has already achieved incredible success,” said the 80-year-old Austrian. – It’s amazing that he always strives to become even better, and we can say that he wins easily and confidently. That is why he can already be compared to the largest pilots.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
