Marko mentions crucial point in dominance: 'We have the Verstappen factor'

By now, nobody can ignore Max Verstappen. The 26-year-old driver had his most successful Formula 1 season ever this year, with only Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher ahead of him in terms of race victories. The Dutchman is also catching up in terms of championships, and Red Bull top advisor Helmut Marko expects the Red Bull driver to reach those seven world titles as well, he told oe24.

A dominant season like this is something no one at Red Bull Racing would have dreamed of. Back in 2022, Verstappen broke the record for most wins by a driver in a single season. Back then, people were already saying that would be a season that would not be matched anytime soon. They were wrong about this: with 19 wins, the Dutchman has smashed the record he set in 2022.

Marko therefore says that Verstappen plays a big role within the team: "We have a good car and very motivated team, but the crucial point for this dominance, and more and more people are starting to understand this, is the Max Verstappen factor. People talk badly about Sergio Perez, even though he is a top driver. He just has bad luck with that his teammate is the talent of the century."

Whether Verstappen will eventually match Schumacher and Hamilton with their seven world titles remains to be seen, although Marko thinks otherwise: "I trust Max with that. There is a very good chance he will win more world championships. I just don't think it's possible to match a season like this, with 21 wins in 22 races [as a team]."