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“Ferrari helped us in that they fought each other”- Helmut Marko feels Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz fighting each other helped Max Verstappen win Sprint in Austria

Somin Bhattacharjee
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"Ferrari helped us in that they fought each other"- Helmut Marko feels Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz fighting each other helped Max Verstappen win Sprint in Austria

Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc battled one another in the opening lap of the F1 Sprint in Austria.

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding who Ferrari’s real number one drivers is. A lot of people feel that the team’s reluctance to appoint a number one driver will hand Max Verstappen the World Title.

Leclerc has not been on the podium since Miami in April, and a big reason behind that has been the Scuderia’s strategy. Despite them not prioritizing any driver, the Monegasque seems like he’s getting the worst of their strategy decisions whereas Sainz has seen a return in form.

Ahead of the Austrian GP this week, team principal Mattia Binotto insisted that they still won’t appoint any number one driver. Leclerc and Sainz were free to fight each other and that’s what they did during the F1 Sprint in Spielberg.

The Ferrari teammates battled each other during the opening lap, with Sainz briefly passing his teammate as well. Their scrap gave Verstappen a good two second lead, which he was able to maintain for the remaining part of the race.

Also read: “I’m grateful that I wasn’t in the hospital” – Lewis Hamilton responds to Max Verstappen’s fans cheering after crash

Red Bull chief Helmut Marko takes a dig at Ferrari drivers

Helmut Marko was not kind with his words when describing how easy it was for Max Verstappen to win the F1 Sprint. Red Bull are favorites for tomorrow’s race in the Styrian hills, but the major reason behind that is not Verstappen or his RB18.

It is the fact that the Ferrari drivers are free to fight each other, which makes it easy for the Dutchman to pull away. After the Sprint race on Saturday, the Red Bull advisor shared his thoughts on this to the media.

“We accept it gratefully,” he said when asked about Leclerc and Sainz battling. “Ferrari helped us in that they fought each other, so we easily had a two-second lead.”

“And then Max managed it confidently,” the 79-year old said. He then praised Verstappen’s teammate Perez, who put up a stunning display to end up in P5 after starting 13th. “In the initial phase, he made sure that there was no damage,” Marko added.

Verstappen will start tomorrow’s race on pole after finishing the Sprint race in P1. Leclerc and Sainz will line up behind the 24-year old in P2 and P3 respectively.

Also read: “At this point it is Ricciardo VS McLaren” – F1 fans were furious by McLaren’s utter disregard for Daniel Ricciardo during the F1 sprint race

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Formula 1 Editor Somin Bhattacharjee fell for the sport as well as Fernando Alonso on the same day — during the Spaniard’s thrilling victory at the German GP in 2010. Over the years, the passion magnified manyfold, and metamorphosed into a writing career in 2021. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. He has penned over 2,700 articles for TheSportsRush, presenting a diverse range — news reports, opinions, and exclusives. A true Tiffosi, Somin never gives up on a chance to defend the Ferrari boys as a fan. As a sports writer though, he remains objective to the core and relishes opportunities to follow and engage in dissecting the action during races. That’s where the real thrill lies for him. Beyond the racetrack, Somin plays different sports including soccer. He enjoys exploring other sporting events and proudly supports Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.

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