“You Can’t Drive Out Behind Leclerc”: Red Bull’s Taskmaster Slams Charles to Defend Max Verstappen’s School Boy Error

As if the Tifosi and the Italian Media were not enough, Charles Leclerc is now receiving criticism from rival teams as well. Leclerc’s crash in the final stages of Q3 affected all the drivers. However, Max Verstappen was the worst affected. Red Bull taskmaster has now come forward to cover up Verstappen’s schoolboy error that he made in the initial part of Q3 and has reverted to cheekily blaming Leclerc for the error rather than taking responsibility for it.

Max Verstappen had a super Friday in Miami and was in the prime seat to take the pole on Saturday. The Dutchman made bread and butter of Q1 and Q2 looking untouchable. However, Verstappen made a mistake on his first run in the Q3 leaving everything at stake on the final lap push. But as destiny would have it, Charles Leclerc crashed at the same corner that he did on Friday and brought out the Red Flag. 

Verstappen was not able to set a time because of the same and as a result, will start P9 on Sunday in Miami. Helmut Marko suggested that Verstappen was very unfortunate as the team tried to wait till the very end to have the best track conditions. However, this time it backfired as there was no banker lap, and the untimely Leclerc crash suggested that Red Bull made a wrong decision. Nevertheless, that would not stop the Red Bull taskmaster from making sarcastic comments about Leclerc.

According to Sky Sports Germany, Helmut Marko said “It was extremely unfortunate for Max. He went a little far in the first run and then we should have come out of the pits earlier. We would have had the speed. We don’t have to wait for the track to improve any further,” “We wanted to concentrate completely on the last run and get the best out of it. The later you go out, the better the track will be. But in this case, it wasn’t the right decision,”

Pointing the finger toward the Monegasque for ruining Verstappen’s final lap, Marko said: “To put it sarcastically: ‘You can’t drive out behind Leclerc.”

Read More: “Karma at Its Finest”: Trash Talk Against Lewis Hamilton & Co. Backfires for Tifosi After Charles Leclerc Crashes Into the Barriers Exposing Fans to Troll Ferrari

Firing shots at Charles Leclerc would not help Max Verstappen win the race on Sunday. Despite having a poor qualifying, Verstappen is not disheartened and knows that his RB19 has the pace to help him claw his way back up.

Max Verstappen remains Optimistic despite a Terrible Q3

While many might consider a Top 5 finish after starting P9 a great result, that is just not enough for Verstappen. The Dutchman expressed how he’s not happy with himself for screwing up the first lap in Q3 and then how he made it difficult for himself knowing the threat of a Red flag. Verstappen explains that it’s going to be difficult but he aims for a minimum of P2 tomorrow during the race

According to skysports.com, Verstappen said “I was trying to put it on the limit and then I made a mistake and had to abort the lap. Then you rely on a bit of luck that there is not going to be a red flag, but that can happen on a street circuit. I’m just a bit upset with myself.” “It’s going to be difficult. I made it difficult for myself, so I have to accept that. [I’m aiming for a] Minimum P2.”

Watch this story: Charles Leclerc Hopeful to Turn the Tables Against Max Verstappen After Promising Baku Pole

What do you make of Helmut Marko’s jab at Charles Leclerc?