Red Bull had a tough weekend in Jeddah at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen was first given a 5-second time penalty, and later a 10-second time penalty due to his duels with Lewis Hamilton. Having been surrounded by controversy this past weekend, Dr. Helmut Marko, advisor to the team hopes they can put up a fair fight in Abu Dhabi.
Having had to settle for second place in Jeddah, they hope to bounce back in Abu Dhabi this weekend; beating their arch-rivals, Mercedes, and get to take home both titles.
Red Bull’s advisor hopes to have a fair fight at the final race this season
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This weekend was full of challenges for the Milton-Keynes-based outfit. Verstappen was given two-time penalties that only made his weekend worse, but nevertheless, the Dutch driver brought home second place for the Raging Bulls. Marko thought the penalties were unfair, but after seeing the reports, the Austrian boss apologized for his remarks.
Speaking to F1Insider.com quoted by Motorsport.com, Marko said, “At the time of the television interview, I transmitted exactly the information I had previously received from engineers. It’s obvious that they were wrong, so I’m sorry.”
He added, “Let’s hope that Saudi Arabia’s sad chapter is now closed. In any case, we are simply looking to the future. We want to win in Abu Dhabi, and thus win the title. We will do everything for that, but we will not do anything unfair. In Saudi Arabia, we already had the pace to follow Hamilton. The Abu Dhabi route should be more favorable to us.” (Translated from French via Google)
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Can Verstappen bring home the driver’s championship for Red Bull
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So far this season, the Red Bull driver has pushed himself to the limit. Verstappen is locked in a heated battle with Hamilton. As it currently stands, both title contenders have tied in the driver’s standings at 369.5 points.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is this weekend and after the results of the Saudi Arabian GP, the title race has gotten even more interesting. The Red Bull prodigy is well aware that the final race of the season will be extremely difficult. Hence, he will aim to keep Hamilton’s Mercedes in his rearview mirror.
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There is no doubt the Abu Dhabi GP will have the entire world watching. Max will throw everything at Lewis, as soon as the lights go out in Sunday’s race at the Yas Marina. Can the Dutch driver prevail against the 7-time world champion, and take home his first world title? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Read More: Marko Rants at Suggestions Max Verstappen Needs to ‘Cool Down’ After Jeddah F1 Controversy