Marko warns for patience Verstappen: 'Then he becomes a time bomb'

According to Helmut Marko, Max Verstappen still feels the necessary performance pressure despite his first world title, but the Red Bull Racing advisor does notice that the Dutchman has become calmer in his approach. Still, Red Bull must provide the world champion with a reliable car soon, otherwise, Marko fears that his driver's patience will run out at some point.

After two dropouts in three races, Verstappen is already well behind in the championship, which has led to some frustrations for the reigning world champion. Despite all the setbacks, he remains pretty calm, Marko noted to Austria's ORF.

Red Bull must start winning races again soon

According to Marko, Verstappen sometimes lacks confidence in his car's setup, which prevents him from maintaining his usual "extreme driving style". "As a result, Checo is closer than before," the Austrian explains.

As an example of Verstappen's calmer attitude, he cites his reaction after the crash at the Australian Grand Prix. As soon as he returned to the pits he calmly discussed with his team what went wrong. Still, the world champion's patience is not infinite, so Red Bull will have to provide him with a reliable car soon.

Asked if Verstappen will become a 'ticking time bomb' if reliability issues are not resolved soon, the Red Bull chief replied that his driver's patience will run out sometime. "If we don't start winning again soon he will indeed become a time bomb," Marko confirmed.