Marko gives Verstappen a stern warning to avoid a 'disastrous scenario'

08:31, 06 Jun

byOlly Darcy

Helmut Marko has urged Max Verstappen to not make what would be a "disaster" of a mistake if he were to miss the Austrian Grand Prix after having "many bitter pills to swallow" in Barcelona.

At the Spanish Grand Prix, what looked to be another impressive podium finish turned into a disastrous P10 for the Dutchman after his capitulation on the final few laps.

Recently, Marko criticised Verstappen's collision in the final stage of the Grand Prix against Mercedes' George Russell, which saw him receive a ten-second time penalty and three penalty points for swerving into the Brit after originally looking to let him past.

The collision between Verstappen and Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix was yet another flashpoint in their rivalry.

Marko admitted that the Red Bull Racing team made a huge strategic error at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, but the 82-year-old also believes that making the right decision was not as easy as it seemed.

"At the Spanish Grand Prix, we had a third-place finish in sight, but ultimately ended up in tenth position. That was partly due to the chosen strategy," states the Red Bull advisor in his column for Speedweek.

"When the safety car came out, we had three options: not stopping, switching to used tyres (about seven rounds old), or opting for a new set of hard tyres. We chose the latter, which in hindsight was the worst option.

"What would have been the best choice is hard to simulate," the advisor continued. "Had we stayed on the track, the two McLarens would probably have overtaken us. But I think we would have had a good chance against Leclerc in the Ferrari. Moreover, Piastri was driving slowly before the restart. Despite his young age, he is very crafty and knew that Max was on hard tyres."

A bitter pill for Max Verstappen

Many things went against Verstappen during those final few laps, with Marko understanding the 27-year-old's frustrations as his race unravelled very quickly.

"You have to look at the entire situation," the Austrian explained. "First, he got tyres he hadn't chosen. Then that moment in the first round when he almost crashed. After that, Leclerc hit the side of his car at 300 km/h. Naturally, the mood was tense."

"Then came the collision with Russell. Max, who knows the regulations excellently, said that he did not have to give back the position. But he was told otherwise. Those were many bitter pills he had to swallow. And Russell is not exactly his best friend."

Marko gives Verstappen a warning

"Max cannot afford any slip-ups in the next two races," Marko warned Verstappen, due to the fact that the Dutchman sits on 11 penalty points, meaning he will be given a race ban if he is handed one more in Canada or in Austria.

"It will be made clear to him that he must not do anything impulsive. It would be a disaster if he is not allowed to start in Austria. But we do not assume that will happen. It's not like Max does something wrong every weekend. After Austria, the first penalty points will be dropped again," concluded the Red Bull advisor.

This article was written in collaboration with Mitchel van de Hoef