Errors and mental resilience: Helmut Marko takes a dig at Lando Norris. Helmut Marko enjoys Red Bull's victory in Brazil and takes a jab at Lando Norris.

Max Verstappen tightens his grip on the championship, while Lando Norris once again shows his struggles: Helmut Marko enjoys the victory in the Brazilian Grand Prix and takes a jab at the English rival.

After months without a win, Max Verstappen returns to triumph in Formula One, doing so in Brazil—a track that, on paper, favored McLaren under challenging conditions—starting from the back and chasing down the pole-sitting rival. After the Interlagos GP, Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko didn’t hold back, taking a few jabs at a less-than-flawless Lando Norris.

With twists, safety cars, and red flags, it was Max Verstappen who emerged from the challenging conditions at Interlagos. After a tough qualifying session that left him controversially at the back, the Dutchman climbed what seemed to be an insurmountable mountain with disarming ease. After Q3, Lando Norris’s pole and Max Verstappen’s disappointing qualifying looked to be the golden opportunity for Lando Norris and his team to reopen the drivers’ championship race.

But no, three hours later, after an intense and chaotic race, the championship battle was effectively over. Once again, pole position did not secure Lando Norris the lead through the first corner, and Max Verstappen reached the points zone within just a few laps, immediately showing a pace from another league.

After the race, Lando Norris expressed frustration, especially about the red flag that allowed his rival a free pit stop. The McLaren driver still believed in his championship hopes, but the defeat at Interlagos seemed to have buried any remaining title dreams. Helmut Marko didn’t hesitate to rub it in.

“Max was flying,” a delighted Helmut Marko said after the São Paulo race. The Red Bull advisor showered praise on Max Verstappen while throwing a barb at Lando: “Max was flawless… We can’t say the same for Norris.” – he pointed out at the end of the Brazilian Grand Prix – For the Austrian advisor, the checkered flag wasn’t just a step forward for Max Verstappen—it was much more. “Is this a giant leap toward the title? No, I think this *is* the title. Today, we saw who the true champion is,” he concluded.