Helmut Marko unfazed by Max Verstappen’s latest “magic” despite turbulent Mexico GP weekend. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko reacts to Max Verstappen’s great result in Mexico City GP quali.

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko showed no surprise at Max Verstappen’s front-row qualification at the 4.304-kilometre Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, despite a challenging start to the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend. The defending champion faced floor damage and a power unit issue on the first day at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, followed by complaints of grip loss in the final practice session.

Nonetheless, the Dutchman managed to push the RB20 to its limits, securing a spot on the front row. This effort stood in contrast to his teammate Sergio Perez, who was eliminated in Q1. While Max Verstappen couldn’t quite catch Carlos Sainz for pole, who was in a league of his own, the Dutch driver impressed by clinching second place under intense late-session pressure.

After his first Q3 lap was deleted for exceeding track limits, Max Verstappen was left with only one chance to claim a strong starting position. Helmut Marko remained confident, unfazed by the three-time Formula 1 world champion’s ability to recover P2 on the grid.

“No, we lost three to four tenths in the third sector and had to get that under control,” Helmut Marko explained in an interview for Sky DE – “Then it would look good, which turned out to be the case. And of course it was another magic lap by Max. After his lap was cancelled, he kept his nerves in check again and drove a perfect lap.” – he added at the end of the qualifying session for the Mexican Grand Prix.

After qualifying, Helmut Marko not only praised Max Verstappen but also took the opportunity to commend the engineers at the Milton Keynes-based team. Significant adjustments were made to the Dutchman’s car ahead of and following the final practice session in Mexico City, allowing it to hit the ideal performance range just before parc fermé conditions were enforced.

“We have to praise the engineers, a big compliment to them. They found the right direction for a car working in a narrow window. I would also say that the higher temperatures, close to 13 degrees [warmer], helped us.” – the Red Bull boss concluded.