Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko had some rare criticism of his star driver Max Verstappen following the Australian Grand Prix.
Though the Dutchman retired from the race with another mechanical issue, it was his performance in qualifying that frustrated his usually No. 1 fan.
While he started second alongside polesitter and eventual race winner Charles Leclerc, Verstappen could have claimed P1 on the grid had he not locked up approaching the penultimate corner on his first lap in Q3.
“He goes over the limit, he wants too much,” Marko said via formula1news.co.uk. “That didn’t work out here in the last sector.
Also Read:
- Verstappen 'already miles behind' as reliability woes strike again in Melbourne
- Red Bull 'got a few things wrong' in Australia despite P2 - Perez
“We thought that with the World Championship title there would be some calmness from him, but he probably needs another title so that he doesn’t go into qualifying with so much pressure.”
In contrast, the Red Bull chief was happy with Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez, who finished second after Max's retirement.
“Checo drove a great race, he was on par with Max,” Marko was quoted by SpeedWeek.
A deserved podium with some daring overtakes 🏆 @SChecoPerez 💪 pic.twitter.com/oOJSc693BD
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) April 10, 2022
“He lost a position at the start because [Lewis] Hamilton made a sensational start, he had a little slip there, but he showed a good race and we expect the same from him.
“He has improved a lot this year in qualifying and in the race, he is also there,” he added.
“Actually, we should have got at least second and third places. But we are happy that Checo finished second.”
