Marko thanks Ferrari: 'That gave Verstappen an easy lead'

Helmut Marko thanked Ferrari with a grin on his face after the sprint race for the Austrian Grand Prix. As Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz battled it out for second position, Max Verstappen was able to close a gap of over two seconds.

Marko is satisfied with the result of the sprint race in Austria. In doing so, the Red Bull advisor thanks the Ferrari team. "The start was a bit critical, but it was okay. Then the Ferrari's came close through the two long straights. Thank God they fought with each other and that gave Max an easy lead of two seconds. We just managed it. We accept it gratefully," Marko told ORF grinning.

Verstappen's victory means he has already picked up eight points, a good result for the driver's championship. Marko also praised teammate Sergio Perez for his overtaking performance in Spielberg. The Mexican had to come back from thirteenth place after his grid penalty. He eventually managed to work his way up to fifth place.

"It was a great race from the thirteenth starting spot. Okay, Alonso crashed out, but at least it was fifth. That is more than we expected. It's also a much better starting position for the race on Sunday," the Austrian said.