Helmut Marko Drags Lewis Hamilton’s Example Into Red Bull Controversy to Defend Max Verstappen’s Canadian GP Victory

The Canadian Grand Prix saw Max Verstappen claim the top spot on the grid. After missing his shot to go for it in Monaco, the Dutchman was back on the podium. Verstappen’s Montreal weekend did not go smoothly since his rivals like Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc surpassed him during the free practice. In the end, Mercedes’ George Russell beat him to take the pole position in qualifying. But thanks to Red Bull’s race tactics involving Sergio Perez and the Dutchman’s resilience, he attained victory on Sunday at the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve.

But like many other race wins of Max Verstappen‘s, his Canadian GP victory came with its fair share of controversies. Following the race, Red Bull racer Perez incurred a 3-place grid penalty for the Spanish GP. As for the cause of this punishment, the stewards cited that Checo had driven in an unsafe condition. Adding to this, Red Bull was also fined €25,000 ($26,935) for the same offense.

But Red Bull might have asked Sergio Perez not to pull up, even though his car was in bad shape, as they wanted to avoid a yellow flag situation. Had the safety car been deployed, Lando Norris could have caught up to race leader Max Verstappen. So, when Red Bull’s Chief Advisor, Dr. Helmut Marko, gave an interview, he was asked if he thought the punishment that the stewards levied on Red Bull was justified since they allegedly “cheated” Verstappen to victory.

Helmut Marko rubbishes allegations of Red Bull’s wrongdoing

Recently, Red Bull renewed its contract with Sergio Perez for another two years with a one-plus-one clause. So, Checo is currently in the good books of all the stakeholders of the team. Still, they allowed the Mexican to drive his RB-20, despite its unsafe condition. When questioned if this was a shrewd tactical move to ensure Max Verstappen kept his lead, Helmut Marko answered in the negative.

Helmut Marko explained that Sergio Perez kept driving his unsafe racecar because they did not know about the extent of the damage. According to Oe24, he said, “At that time we didn’t know how severe the damage was. With the camera setting we had available, we couldn’t see that. We wanted Checo to continue driving because everything was possible in this race. And you can never know how much debris flies away. Others have already driven around with more hanging parts. Lewis Hamilton once won in Silverstone on three wheels.” Of course, Marko was referring to Hamilton’s historic win at the British GP 2020.

Lewis Hamilton’s 2020 British GP win on 3 wheels

From 2017 to 2020, Lewis Hamilton had won four back-to-back titles and was virtually invincible on the race track. The Mercedes racer, who will move to Ferrari next year, started the 2020 British Grand Prix in Silverstone from pole position. But during the last few laps, Hamilton’s then-teammate, Valtteri Bottas, suffered a front-left failure. And only a few moments later, the same fate happened to Lewis Hamilton.

However, Lewis managed to complete the lap on a punctured tire, with a charging Max Verstappen closing in on him. The race is one of the most memorable ones from the 2020 season. At that time, it had not allowed any fans to visit the gallery. This is because it happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lewis Hamilton has won the British GP a total of 8 times in his home country, but among all of them, the drama that happened at Silverstone in 2000 remains unmatched.

Do you believe the British GP 2020 win was one of Lewis’ most dramatic victories in F1? Let us know in the comments below.