Helmut Marko pinpoints one thing Max Verstappen has done more this season than any other year
Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko revealed that Max Verstappen has been at the factory at Milton Keynes much more this season than before. The Dutch driver sealed his 4th title in Las Vegas the previous weekend and has since received a lot of accolades from drivers and teams alike.
The Red Bull-Max combination began the season with a strong car, and the driver made the most of it. Until Miami, where McLaren was expected to bring a major upgrade, Verstappen had dropped just one race win in Australia, where the reliability issue cost him the race.
From Miami onwards, however, Red Bull saw rivals McLaren and Ferrari catch up in terms of competitiveness. From that point onwards, it was all about managing the lead as Verstappen came with the 4th title. Looking back, however, it's safe to say that it was not easy, and there was a spot of bother for the team-driver combination as well on whether they would be able to hold off Lando Norris.
In the end, Verstappen, as a driver, made the difference as he was able to extract the maximum out of the car every time, and that helped him win. Looking back, Helmut Marko was all praise for the driver and even told the Telegraph that the Dutchman was at the factory all the time in a bid to help improve the car. He said:
"He has been at the factory in Milton Keynes more often this year than before, purely to help the team. He made it clear to the engineers: until I have confidence in the car, it is impossible to go to the limit. His commitment is incredible. He has really proved that he is indeed that team leader."
Lando Norris pushes back on bold Max Verstappen claims
After Max Verstappen clinched the Drivers title in the Las Vegas GP, he claimed that he would have won the title even earlier if he had the McLaren under him. Pushing back at those remarks, Lando Norris said:
"He can say whatever he wants. Of course I completely disagree, as I would. He's good, but yeah. It's not true. I know what Max is capable of doing and I like his confidence but I can say whatever. Not possible."
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris were involved in a title battle this season that could have gotten more intense had there been fewer mistakes from the McLaren driver. The tension between the two will spill over into 2025 as they will once again be in contention for the biggest prize.