Helmut Marko is buzzing for Max Verstappen. From the first moment his pupil joined Red Bull the World Championship was the goal and after a little over five years they have finally succeeded. Marko talks about the chaotic final stage of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Marko tells Speedweek.com that the cause of Max' poor start was rear wheel spin in first and second gear. In the end, Hamilton's Mercedes was the faster car because of the tyre set-up. Perez then did a hugely important job of deliberately driving slowly, causing Hamilton to lose seven seconds on the track.
Compliments Perez
"Checo did a phenomenal job," said Marko, who knew immediately that a one-stop would not work. A two-stopper was chosen. "After that, we knew: now we need a safety car". Thanks to Williams and Latifi, this worked. "Then there was another action by the stewards, who decided not to let the cars pass on a lap, which is not provided for in the regulations. That was the next excitement."
One thing led to another, as Perez suffered an oil pressure problem. Red Bull didn't take the risk of keeping the Mexican on the tarmac. "At that point we gave up the fight for the constructors' title. There was in fact a danger that our second car would stop and so the safety car would stay out until the chequered flag. The situation went back and forth the whole time."
Marko on Hamilton staying outside
Marko refutes that Red Bull had already lost hope by the end of the race."No. The safety car came at the ideal time for us. After all the bad luck we've had this year, luck had to turn in our favour. That's what happened. And the decision to go on soft tyres during Max's final pit stop was a perfect move. Mercedes actually slept through two safety car phases. By doing that, they made it easy for us to work in that direction."