Marko sees that fatherhood doesn't hinder Verstappen in Formula 1 at all

Marko was asked by Krone Zeitung if he had noticed any change in the Dutchman since the birth of his daughter Lily. “He showed me a baby picture, but with the pole position in Miami he proved that it hasn't changed him,” Marko said about Verstappen's recent fatherhood.

Subsequently, the 81-year-old Austrian of Red Bull Racing was asked what the best race of the three-time world champion was this season.

Marko's answer was quick to come. “Suzuka, where he drove lap after lap in the race as if it were qualifying. But overall, he has taken the maximum out of this year. Without that somewhat unfortunate five-second time penalty, he would have also won in Jeddah,” concluded Marko on the questions about Verstappen from the Austrian media.

The upcoming race weekend sees Red Bull Racing bringing updates to Imola. These are intended to help the team close the gap with McLaren. Marko also spoke about this, saying among other things that the impact of these updates is overestimated, and that the gap to the leading team of McLaren will not be closed immediately.

Marko discussed Verstappen's recent testing at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. "He told me that after just three laps, he beat a record by two seconds, knew every lap time, everything about the suspension."

Verstappen’s dedication is evident through his sim racing team, which he uses to scout and support young talent. With traditional karting becoming prohibitively expensive, he sees sim racing as an accessible alternative.