Heading into the Austrian GP, Helmut Marko warned that Red Bull could be vulnerable. The 81-year-old thought the RB20 would be within striking distance of McLaren. In the end, a pit-stop error from Red Bull put Max Verstappen into Norris’ clutches. According to Marko, the incident was unnecessary – although he believes Lando Norris was slightly more culpable than Verstappen.
The fight at the front is becoming more intense by the week. Earlier in the year, as McLaren’s pace became clearer, Helmut Marko argued the “Verstappen factor” would make the difference on more difficult weekends.
Considering Marko’s admiration for the Dutchman, his perspective on the Austria incident will inevitably have a specific slant. Still, his comments on the collision were relatively balanced.
Helmut Marko: Both drivers were too aggressive
Overall, the Red Bull advisor believes the incident was very much preventable:
“I would say that both drove unnecessarily hard,” he told Servus TV.
“You could perhaps blame us. We knew that an investigation into track limits against Lando was underway. But we didn’t know if and how he would be punished.
SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA – JUNE 29: Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Consultant Dr Helmut Marko looks on in the Paddock after qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on June 29, 2024 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202406290527 // Usage for editorial use only //
“So, in retrospect, you could have said – OK, let him go. It was a very tough duel… That was unnecessarily harsh from both drivers.
“It could have been handled differently. I see what Max did as more within the limit than what Lando did.”
Ultimately, the FIA deemed that Verstappen was responsible for the incident. He received a 10-second time penalty, which was added to his finishing time in Austria.
It was judged that Verstappen “moved to the left, causing a collision with Car 4” heading into Turn 3.
Of course, considering that Red Bull missed out on a potential race victory, the outcome is not particularly bad for the Austrian outfit.
Norris and McLaren were left worse off from the incident, with the reigning Champion gaining 10 points relative to the British driver. Unsurprisingly, Andrea Stella and his personnel are unhappy with the collision.
Almost undoubtedly, there will be more incidents between these drivers in the upcoming rounds. This will only increase the temperature as F1 becomes more competitive at the front.
