Jos Verstappen and Helmut Marko agree: Max Verstappen’s qualifying session for the Austrian GP is of a rare caliber. The gap with pursuer Lando Norris on the short 4.3-kilometer circuit, nearly half a second, is exceptional. “The more fuss, the harder Max drives,” jokes father Jos.
A week ago in Spain, on the eve of the Spanish GP, he sounded the alarm. McLaren has caught up with Red Bull, Max Verstappen asserts. Although he wins the race in Barcelona, Lando Norris is hot on his heels and has also secured the pole position for the British team the day before.
Six days later, the world looks very different for Verstappen and Red Bull. More predictable, especially: the reigning world champion wins the sprint race in the afternoon and is a class apart in the qualification a few hours later. Father Jos is pleasantly surprised. “The more fuss, the harder Max drives,” he jokes, referring to the verbal feud with Christian Horner the day before.
According to Helmut Marko, the dominance in the qualification has to do with a few things. “The car was already running well on Friday. Max, together with GP (his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase), made the necessary changes, adapted the car towards the race. That makes the big difference even more special,” believes Red Bull’s advisor. “Almost half a second on this track is a second on a ‘normal’ track.”
“Max,” continues Marko, “is currently in absolute top form and the car was optimal. And that combination is unbeatable. Every round he drove in the qualification was, in my opinion, good for pole. That says something.” Another factor that Marko believes plays a role is the orange legion. “If you look at the stands, all that orange, the great atmosphere and a track that apparently suits him: all that seems to do Max very well. I also enjoy all that orange along the track and those yellow license plates on the way to the circuit with trailers.”
About the dispute between Jos Verstappen and Red Bull’s team boss Christian Horner, Marko is less pleased a day later, he says. “It’s all a bit blown up: a kindergarten action and also unnecessary. Whether something like this affects the team?” Silence: “Let’s quickly forget it.”
