Red Bull chief questions Mercedes strategy: "Was surprised".

Helmut Marko expressed his admiration for Max Verstappen at Viaplay and at The Telegraph The Red Bull Racing advisor does it again. Marko finds it bizarre that his Dutch pupil remains so calm under all circumstances. Driving a home race with more than 100,000 fans at the track for you brings extra pressure, but Verstappen is not sensitive to that.

The Dutch Grand Prix is different to all the others for Verstappen, because there are a lot of media commitments. But Verstappen doesn't seem to mind, as he is as fast as ever. Despite a difficult start to the weekend with gearbox problems resulting in lost time, Verstappen was back on the top step of the podium.

Verstappen as focused as he can be

"He was completely focused on the race. This boy, well boy, he's almost 25 so actually a young man, is incredible," Marko told the newspaper. When Verstappen is in the RB18, he is only concerned with one thing. "He jumps in the car and sits on his own planet. Max doesn't get distracted at all. He sleeps off until someone wakes him up at 10am."

Verstappen was made a little more difficult in the closing stages because of a safety car after Valtteri Bottas stalled at the end of the straight. The world championship leader had a lead of around thirteen seconds, but that disappeared like snow in the sun when Bernd Mayländerr came onto the track.

Marko on Mercedes choice

Marko, incidentally, does not understand why Mercedes put its drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton on two different strategies in the closing stages. "I was surprised that Mercedes did not choose to bring Hamilton in for a pit stop. We have been given many gifts this year. We are only grateful for this one too."