The words of the Austrian manager
“I dare not imagine an Austrian Grand Prix without Max Verstappen,” Helmut Marko said on the eve of the Canadian Grand Prix, emphasizing that they would remind the Dutch driver not to make mistakes that could cost him his participation at the Red Bull Ring event.
Verstappen did race at the Red Bull Ring as expected, but the real problem was the notable absence of the Red Bull RB21. For one reason or another, Max Verstappen failed to get beyond the fourth row in Qualifying, and his race lasted just a few hundred meters after he was hit by Andrea Kimi Antonelli at Turn 3 on the first lap.
Without Max Verstappen, Red Bull, left with only Yuki Tsunoda, delivered a performance that was well below expectations, almost tragic. The only member of the Red Bull family who left the race with a smile was the much-criticized Liam Lawson, who achieved an excellent sixth place at the finish after a superb qualifying session that placed him on the third row.
To shift the spotlight within Red Bull, attention was directed toward others. Christian Horner stated, “Mercedes has arrived a minute behind,” almost implying to Max Verstappen, ‘Are you sure things would go better racing for them?’ Helmut Marko, for his part, stressed that Verstappen moving to Mercedes would not be a smart move regarding the development of Andrea Kimi Antonelli: “Against Max Verstappen, everyone looks bad. For Antonelli, it would be too soon in only his second year,” said Marko, as reported by the publication Auto Motor und Sport.
In short, these cryptic remarks reveal a certain nervousness within the Red Bull camp, since without Max Verstappen, the team would be left without its main asset just before a major regulatory revolution. This upcoming challenge involves debuting as an engine supplier and doing so without Adrian Newey to study regulations and design the car.
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