Red Bull’s Helmut Marko Picks Two Stand Out Moments From Max Verstappen’s Record Breaking Season: “He’s From Another Planet”

After last year’s maiden world championship victory, Max Verstappen continued the form in 2022. While the title win in 2021 came under controversial circumstances, the Dutchman put all doubts to rest by winning the championship with 4 races to go this year. A witness of his progress since childhood, Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko sang praises for the team’s golden boy.

Red Bull and Max Verstappen have worked in perfect synergy in 2022. While the Milton-Keynes-based team provided Max with the fastest car on the grid, he made the most of every opportunity. Certain performances were so awe-inspiring that even a hard taskmaster, Helmut Marko couldn’t help but admire them.

Helmut Marko showers praise on Max Verstappen

Two of Max Verstappen’s most iconic performances this season came in Hungary and Belgium. The Dutchman started out in P10 at Hungaroring and won the race despite spinning in lap 42. He even under-braked in certain corners while overtaking, but made every move stick. The feat in Belgium was even more impressive as he won the race, starting in P14 and driving flawlessly.

Impressed with how Max has progressed since he first met him, Helmut Marko, speaking with AD said, “Max has developed since our first conversation. Then he was fifteen. He’s so dedicated. He is one of the best drivers, but he still has both feet on the ground. He rarely makes mistakes in the car, he always delivers.” [Translated using Google]

Marko also lauded the Flying Dutch’s performances in Hungary and Belgium. “In Budapest, he started cautiously, and then he attacked. That was unimaginable last year. He has good timing on attacks and holding back. We saw the same in Spa. Sometimes it seems like he’s from another planet.”

Read More: Max Verstappen Blasted by F1 Champion for ‘Revenge’ Game at Brazilian GP

Max’s racing style remains a polarizing topic in Formula 1. Different people can define his driving style differently depending on where their loyalties lie.

Lewis Hamilton and Christian Horner on Max Verstappen’s racing style

Max is without a doubt a hard racer. He brakes late, lunges aggressively into the corners, and sometimes makes some late maneuvers while defending.

GQ recently quoted Red Bull team principal Christian Horner saying, “Max’s best form of defense is attack.”

7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton however defines his rival’s driving style very differently. “Max is kind of do-or-die. It’s like you’re either crashing or you’re not going by.”

“I think he pushes it to the limit and probably beyond.”

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Hamilton was recently on the receiving end of Verstappen’s hard racing antics. While trying to overtake Lewis, Max turned into him in the Brazilian GP and damaged his own front wing. Hamilton came out mostly unscathed from the collision. Stewards even gave Max a 5-second time penalty for the incident. Was Max wrong in making that move? Or was it hard racing?