Marko thinks Leclerc succumbed to pressure: "He was still lucky"

Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing surprised friend and foe with their dominant weekend in Imola, where Ferrari was initially seen as the big favorite. Helmut Marko says the victory was very important for the team, which is now right back in the title race.

According to Marko, the confidence was always there, but the Austrian racing team has been struggling with reliability problems lately. He is confident that these have now been resolved, he tells The Telegraph.

For Ferrari the weekend of their home race ended in disappointment. Not only did Carlos Sainz crash for the second time in a row, but Charles Leclerc didn't come off unscathed either. The Monegasque made a mistake in the final phase of the race and fell back - after a pit stop - to sixth place.

Marko attributes Red Bull's dominant weekend to updates

Marko argues that the pressure may have been too much for him. "Leclerc spun three times on Friday and again during the race. He was still lucky to be able to continue," says the Austrian.

As for the reason behind Red Bull Racing's dominant weekend, the top advisor is clear: the team owes it to the aerodynamic updates. Moreover, the car's tuning would now be more accurate.

The weight of the RB18 has also decreased, although Marko believes the car is still too heavy. That it takes some time to get there, he says, is not surprising at all. "If you go to Weight Watchers, you also don't lose all your weight in one week," concludes the always sharp Marko.