Dr. Helmut Marko believes that Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s exceptional driving is what is keeping this Championship alive.
Red Bull’s motorsport advisor recently spoke about his thoughts on the ongoing F1 season. It has been a closely fought battle between Hamilton and Verstappen since the first race in Bahrain back in March. Fans and pundits are calling this one of the best seasons in F1 in a long time.
Marko believes that the season has been this exciting because the two drivers are of equal caliber and are driving cars which are also similar in terms of performance.
Verstappen brought his Red Bull home to a win in Austin last week. Himself and Hamilton were separated by just over a second. The two drivers were a class apart as they both finished the race almost a minute ahead of Max’s teammate Sergio Perez, who came 3rd.
Hamilton and Verstappen are the only drivers who can get the best out of their cars, says Marko
The fight between Max and Lewis has been so close that it’s tough to predict who will be on top at the end of the season. Helmut Marko thinks that other non-racing factors would have a major role to play in the outcome.
“It is so close together that the shape of the day, the asphalt and even the outside temperature can be the deciding factor,” he said.
“It seems that Mercedes can find the right setup significantly faster. Our car is more complex and, as a result, we often need more time for the setup. “Furthermore, there are only two drivers who always manage to get the most out of the cars. Hamilton at Mercedes, and Max, of course, with us.”
“As for the second drivers, Perez has thankfully found his way up and Bottas. His race in Turkey was extremely good, and the one in Austin above average,” Marko said. “But there are only two exceptional drivers (Lewis and Max) who keep this duel alive, regardless of whether Mercedes or Red Bull has the faster car.”
Max Verstappen leads Lewis Hamilton by 12 points with just 5 races to go. The F1 season resumes next weekend when the sport returns to Mexico City after a year’s hiatus.
