Red Bull had to pay a whopping $7,000,000 in fines after the team breached the cost cap in the 2021 season. Their breach became a huge joke as it was their catering department that overspent. However, with Red Bull successfully winning their sixth Constructors’ Championship following Max Verstappen’s win in Japan, the team are now looking to have a huge party. The team’s advisor, Helmut Marko, is keen on organizing the same. When told that the party could be very expensive, Verstappen stated that their expenses are the last thing they need to worry about at the moment.
The cost cap penalty did not seem to have any sort of an impact on Red Bull as they have dominated the 2023 season. The team has so far won 15 of the 16 races, with Verstappen winning 13 of them. They have done so despite having a 10% reduction in wind tunnel time because of their cost cap breach.
As for Verstappen, he will now look to win his third Drivers’ Championship in Qatar two weeks from now. The Dutchman currently has a 177-point lead in the championship from Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez and just needs to finish sixth or higher in the sprint in Qatar to clinch the title. If Verstappen does manage to do so, Marko is keen to have a huge party for the team.
Max Verstappen responds to Helmut Marko’s party suggestion
During his post-race interview, Max Verstappen was told that Helmut Marko is planning to have a party in Qatar. The Austrian said that the party will be the most expensive as alcohol in Qatar is very costly.
However, the same does not seem to be a concern for the Dutchman. In reply, the 25-year-old had a laugh and said, “I think that’s the last thing we have to worry about“. The alcohol in Qatar is quite expensive since it is a conservative country.
❓ Helmut Marko, Katar’daki şampiyonluk kutlamasının şimdiye kadarki en pahalı kutlama olacağını söyledi çünkü orada alkol fiyatları çok pahalı.
🗣️ Max Verstappen: Dert edineceğimiz en son şey bu sanırım.pic.twitter.com/rReje5REgl
— Parc Fermé + (@parcfermeplus) September 24, 2023
The same was a hot topic last year when the country hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Fans had to pay $14.69 for just a beer at the tournament, as per The Guardian, even though the country slashed the prices for alcohol. While Verstappen seems to be looking forward to the party in Qatar despite the price of alcohol, he does need to finish the job at the upcoming race in Qatar.
Verstappen is cruising towards his third title
With Max Verstappen currently having a 177-point lead in the championship over Sergio Perez, the question is about when he will win the championship rather than if he will win it. Since a maximum of 180 points are still up for grabs this season, the Dutchman needs to outscore the Mexican by three points to win the title.
Hence, if Verstappen manages to finish sixth or higher in the sprint at Qatar, he will be crowned champion for a third team. In case he fails to do so, the 25-year-old can still be champion if he finishes ninth and registers the fastest lap during the main race on Sunday or simply finishes the Grand Prix in eighth or higher.
Perez cannot win the championship even if he is level on points with Verstappen by the end of the season because he would have fewer race wins even if he ends up winning all the remaining races of this season. With Perez having won just two as of now, he can increase his win tally to a maximum of eight.
In stark contrast, Verstappen has already won 13 races this season. Since the gap between the two is so huge, it is more about what more records can the 25-year-old break. After having already registered the most number of wins in a row in F1 history (10), Verstappen will now hope to break his record of most wins in a season (15).
