Marko Relieved After Pérez-Verstappen Miami Scare

Helmut Marko reflects on the Miami GP, relieved after a close call between Pérez and Verstappen nearly ended in disaster.

Helmut Marko was not surprised to see McLaren F1 beat Red Bull in Miami, as he had predicted it himself before the weekend. The Red Bull consultant feared that Sergio Pérez would knock Max Verstappen out of the race at the start when the Mexican missed his braking, but he mostly watched helplessly as Lando Norris performed.

“Unfortunately, I was right, we were simply too slow,” he told OE24. “When Pérez almost caused an accident at the first corner after the start, I thought ‘Good Lord’.”

“It reminded me of Mexico, where Checo had also made such a move at the first turn. Fortunately, this time, everything went well. Of course, it would have been his Waterloo if he had taken out Max.”

But Marko is positive about Pérez’s race: “Overall, Checo had a good race; his gap was manageable. He was also lucky that Carlos Sainz received a new five-second penalty, which allowed him to move up to fourth place. What I found impressive was how he kept Norris behind him, who was driving a much faster car.”

When asked if Verstappen’s car suffered any damage after the start and with the marker later, the Red Bull luminary responded as follows: “Max said it wasn’t that bad, but the fact is that we were slower than McLaren.”

Marko notes that Norris was lucky with the timing of the safety car, and implies that the Briton is less serious than his driver: “It’s true, without that safety car, it probably would have been hard to close the gap and overtaking is very difficult in Miami.”

“Max has a very friendly relationship with Norris. He often takes him along on his plane, and they always manage to meet up for race simulations. They also meet frequently outside. In fact, as far as partying is concerned, Max could learn a thing or two from Norris.”

Despite Verstappen’s second place last weekend, Marko is not worried about the rest of the season: “One might fear that Norris will now be even more dangerous because the pressure is off. But I am not worried.”

“Norris is more than 50 points behind and we are bringing an update to Imola that I expect a lot from. But the Miami race shows that we need to focus on the sport.”