Helmut Marko on Verstappen statements: 'Reaction could have been different'

Helmut Marko was pleased with Max Verstappen at the Las Vegas GP. The Austrian was delighted with the performance of the Dutchman, who won his 18th race of the season.

''I have always said that we should only draw a conclusion here after the end of the race. And the race was fantastic,'' Marko told the Telegraph. Expectations for the race were different from how it ended up, though: ''We expected beforehand that we were much better on the medium tyre, but so that was not the case. But on the other hand, we were actually stronger than expected on the hardest rubber. That helped us a lot.''

"I'm sure the organisation is very happy with him now," Marko said, referring to statements made by Verstappen earlier in the weekend. He continued: "I think his reaction earlier this week would have been different if we had been more at the beginning of the season." He also admits that the conditions were not ideal for Verstappen: "Max generally doesn't like all kinds of marketing and PR stuff, but eighty per cent of our sponsors are American and here."

Jos Verstappen was mildly pleased with the race on the street circuit: "I think it's insane on television when you see those drivers driving down the Strip." Max's father does have a minus: "What I regret is that we are here now. It's cold, we're wearing thick coats, and then all the sessions are also very late. In my opinion, they should change those times.''