Max Verstappen & Helmut Marko Won $54 Bet Against Engineer GP: Reason Behind “Sorry” Radio Message

Looks like the season is over before it even started. Max Verstappen will take pole position tomorrow at the Bahrain GP in 2024. While the Dutch driver led the qualifying rounds, at the end of his last lap, he uttered the words “I’m so sorry GP” and this created a lot of confusion in the paddocks. Why would Verstappen apologize for leading the qualifier?

Well, truth be told, the apology was not for leading the qualifiers, but one said to Gianpiero Lambiase aka GP, who is Max’s engineer. This was due to a bet that GP had going on with Helmut Marko. The director and the engineer had placed a bet where Marko put his money on Verstappen, finishing at pole position. And to no one’s surprise, he won it.

The bet was for a simple 50£ out of which Verstappen played it smart and decided to claim half the money from Marko for making him win. Max Verstappen is highly competitive, and it looks like 2024 might be a recap of last year. According to the other teams, it is still a difficult gap to close. If Helmut Marko puts his money on Verstappen, there is a strong chance that he might continue to win as Red Bull still looks like the most dominant team, entering this year’s season.

Will this be another season with Max Verstappen dominating the calendar?

According to most of the drivers on the grid, Max Verstappen along with Adrian Newey’s car are quite difficult to beat. The team that has brought home 19 wins out of 22 in 2023, has had a strong opening at the Bahrain Grand Prix 2024.

Verstappen is known to deliver and it looks like he has already started competing with himself. During the pre-season testing and free practice, many teams have highlighted the issues that are preventing them from making progress. But Red Bull has been going strong with Max starting at pole and Sergio Perez starting 5th. Although the two drivers are in the same car, Verstappen has shown the kind of skill that looks hard to rival.

Charles Leclerc came in seconds, coming just over two-tenths behind the World Champion. Similarly, all the racers starting in the remaining 8 positions finished less than a second after Max, making the qualifying a close one. Although the 26-year-old driver is showing his dominance on the track, there are chances that he might just get overtaken.

Read More – Max Verstappen’s Dominance Needs Respect Like Tiger Woods’ Legendary Feats: F1 Expert Shuts ‘Boring’ Accusations

That being said, do you think Max Verstappen will continue to win World Championships with Red Bull? Do you think the winning streak will continue, or will it end? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.