Without damage, would Verstappen have won over Norris? Marko responds!

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Marko is sure Verstappen would have beaten Norris without damage
11 May at 07:00
Last update 11 May at 08:17
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  • Cas van de Kleut

Lando Norris surprised friend and foe by winning the Miami Grand Prix. The Briton drove away from Max Verstappen in his upgraded McLaren after the safety car. The Dutchman had suffered floor damage earlier in the race when he hit over a pole. Helmut Marko thinks Verstappen would have won over Norris without the damage, he says in his column for Speedweek.com.

Norris moved into leading position when a safety car came in for an accident between Logan Sargeant and Kevin Magnussen. This allowed the Briton, who had not yet stopped, to make a 'free pit stop'. He did not give away the lead, even after an inferior restart.

'Verstappen would have won from Norris without damage'

Marko says: "If Max had stayed up front, it would certainly have been an exciting race, although I think that he could have kept Norris behind him, despite McLaren's better race pace and top speed. Before the safety car, he had an 11-second lead over Norris."

The top consultant continued: "Red Bull Racing lost the most time at the first corner. Max also said that all weekend they were unable to get the right balance in the car and build up the grip needed. We didn't have the fastest car and even before Max knocked over the pole, we were only just ahead of the Ferrari in terms of speed. It had nothing to do with the temperatures, which were relatively consistent."