Helmut Marko rubs salt in McLaren wound after Las Vegas: “Max Verstappen just toyed with them”. After the Las Vegas GP, Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko mocked McLaren’s strategy.

Helmut Marko’s comments following the Las Vegas Grand Prix have sparked a new debate about McLaren’s race management. The Red Bull consultant ironically commented on the radio message sent to Lando Norris in the closing stages, when the team asked him to try to catch Max Verstappen. According to Marko, the request had no technical basis. The four-time world champion was simply controlling the pace and managing his lead.

Marko: “Max made it clear from the start”

Marko explained that Red Bull had a clear understanding of the rivals’ tyre wear, which allowed Max to manage without risk: “He was able to easily match the pace of those behind and therefore save his tyres.” The Austrian described McLaren’s radio message as “funny”: “Attack Max, overtake him,” they told Norris, just as the Dutch driver responded with a series of fast laps. According to Marko, that phase highlighted the performance gap between the two cars: “He put together one fast lap after another, just to make it clear. He did it with complete confidence and ease. We had no problems,” he emphasized.

Lando Norris, meanwhile, had to slow significantly in the last two laps, running at least two to three seconds slower. In hindsight, this seems connected to the technical issues discovered during post-race checks. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s disqualification came just hours after the checkered flag due to excessive plank wear.

This suggests that McLaren was not fully aware of the situation. The heavy lift-and-coast instructions given to Norris in the closing laps, intended to reduce mechanical stress, may have been an indirect consequence. This is also why Norris finished over 20 seconds behind Verstappen, even risking losing a position to George Russell.

First corner at Las Vegas was decisive

Marko also analyzed the start, noting that Verstappen effectively shaped the race at the first corner: “I wouldn’t say he won on the start, but the first corner was decisive and basically forced Norris into a mistake,” he said. The Red Bull consultant believes the early pressure played a key role in the race dynamics.

From that point on, the Dutch driver managed the race without overexerting, building a margin that made any McLaren recovery impossible. Lando Norris, for his part, acknowledged the limits of his race without making excuses: “We weren’t fast enough. We didn’t have the pace,” he admitted.

The British driver acknowledged the mistake at the first corner, explaining that he braked too late. Even assuming a clean exit from turn one, Lando believes the result wouldn’t have changed: “Max did an excellent job and Red Bull is very fast. They deserved the win.” The statements reflect a race where McLaren tried to react but had little room to maneuver.

Radio message more motivational than strategic

Helmut Helmut’s impression is that the radio message was more about motivating Lando than a real attack strategy. The facts, however, revealed a technically complex situation, likely not fully understood by the team. The outcome raises questions about McLaren’s overall race management, and even their season, coming at a crucial moment in Lando Norris’s career.

With Qatar and Abu Dhabi still to come, Helmut Marko’s smirk says it all: Max Verstappen is back in the hunt, and McLaren’s title dream just got a whole lot more complicated.