Max Verstappen Emerges as Red Bull’s New ‘Whisperer’ After Sergio Perez Loses One of His Greatest Assets: “We Were Not Forced…”

Red Bull team advisor Helmut Marko shared some in-house revelations with ‘Motorsports’ in a recent interview. With the way the season ended for the victorious Austrian team, the events that led up to it caused a few new changes in the workings of the team.

Helmut Marko shared his thoughts on the last race that took place at the Yas Marina Circuit for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. As he reflected, he said that Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, alongside homeboy Max Verstappen, had followed the one pit-stop strategy.

Not only were they successful in making the tyres last, but also maintained their respective leads. Usually, Perez is the one who manages to pull these off with ease. However, this wasn’t the case in the last race.

He explained, “Perez pushed too hard at the beginning of the first stint.”

“As a result, we had to bring him in earlier than planned. Of all the guys at the front, he was the first whose tyres went,” he continued.

“We were not forced into that early stop by Ferrari. No, we were forced into that early stop by Perez’s own tyre wear. Max has gradually become a tyre whisperer. We give him a certain plan and he executes it optimally,” he said, in conclusion.

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Helmut further gave insights into what went down in Abu Dhabi.

Helmut Marko on how things unraveled for Red Bull in Abu Dhabi

Marko explained how things unraveled with the Dutch Lion on the tracks during the race in Abu Dhabi.

He said, “In Abu Dhabi, for example, with Max we had already assumed a one-stop. From the same considerations we had gone for a two-stop with Perez, although that first stop of his still came earlier than we expected.”

Marko expressed his pride for having achieved the phenomenal results that the Austrian team had mangled to accomplish this season.

In conclusion, he said, “The team and both drivers have done a fantastic job. The only downside to that is that it won’t be easy to top this season again.”

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As an F1 fan, do you think Red Bull will manage to top this season in the upcoming year of 2023?