Marko hopeful of victory: 'Then we were faster than Ferrari again'

Max Verstappen fell just short of passing Charles Leclerc at the Austrian Grand Prix. The Dutchman approached quickly in the closing stages of the race, but was unlucky that the finish flag was already waving. For Helmut Marko it was a disappointment.

The advisor of the Austrian racing team saw Verstappen start the race from pole position and hoped that the reigning world champion could keep this position, but nothing was further from the truth. Leclerc approached at breakneck speed and then managed to pass his rival.

After Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz retired, Verstappen and Leclerc had to fight it out. Both drivers used the virtual safety car to change tyres, after which the battle for victory finally broke out.

For Marko, this was the moment he started to believe in victory. "With the last set of tyres we were faster than Ferrari again and I think Leclerc was already on the limit," he recalled in conversation with German Sky. According to the Austrian, Verstappen needed a maximum of two laps to pass Leclerc, although tyre wear was too severe to achieve that.

Marko disappointed with Perez's performance

Marko was less satisfied with Perez's performance. The Mexican went off track after overtaking and had to abandon the race. "Before the start we said we couldn't do it on the outside of this corner," he said.