Helmut Marko Ridicules McLaren’s ‘Sportsmanship’ After Italian Grand Prix Blunder, Praises Verstappen’s Resilience

Helmut Marko takes a jab at McLaren, referencing "sportsmanship" at the Italian Grand Prix.

"I value that, and it slightly improves our position."

Helmut Marko humorously expressed his gratitude to McLaren for their "sportsmanship" following their squandered opportunity to win the Italian Grand Prix in Formula 1.

McLaren is currently trailing Red Bull by only eight points in the Formula 1 constructors' championship.

The team from Woking might have topped the leaderboard after the Monza race if they had achieved a first and second place finish.

Nonetheless, choosing to move Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to a two-stop strategy proved to be an expensive mistake.

This enabled Charles Leclerc to seize the race lead and maintain it using a one-stop strategy.

By finishing in third place, Norris managed to cut Max Verstappen's lead in the drivers' championship by just eight points. As a result, Verstappen now holds a 62-point advantage going into the Azerbaijan race.

In an interview with the Dutch newspaper de Telegraaf, Marko downplayed the idea that the outcome was "disappointing" and took a jab at McLaren.

"Was the outcome a letdown? Absolutely not," he stated. "We somewhat anticipated this and I wish to extend my congratulations to Ferrari for their win and express my gratitude to McLaren for their fair play."

"I’m grateful for that; it improves our circumstances somewhat."

Red Bull had a tough weekend as Verstappen managed to secure only sixth place.

Finishing in sixth place marks his poorest race result since the 2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

As Red Bull faces significant challenges, their standing in both championships is at risk, especially with upcoming races in Baku and Singapore, which are anticipated to be unfavorable for them.

The positive update for Red Bull is that there is a one-month break before the series of races in the United States, providing them with essential time to possibly discover ways for Verstappen to secure his fourth world championship this year.

Marko is sure that Verstappen will keep being a game-changer in 2024.

"Max remains the top driver both mentally and in terms of quality," he said.

Discover More

Recent Updates

Recent Updates

Site Map

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

It is prohibited to fully or partially replicate text, images, or drawings in any manner.