Marko on what Max can do, and what Hamilton should know

Max Verstappen can drive a car “over the limit” and Lewis Hamilton “should already know” that if a gap is there, the World Champion will go for it.

Those are just two things Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko took from watching the 2021 season play out.

Last season, Verstappen and Hamilton put on a blockbuster for the World title, the protagonists trading blows week in and week out.

With 14 1-2 results in 22 races, six of which were recorded in the final six races of the season, Verstappen and Hamilton were in a league of their own.

Such was the ferocity of their battle, which included two big crashes, that the two went into the season finale tied on points with a winner-takes-all scenario in play.

Verstappen claimed the win and the World title, Marko delighted with the result as Red Bull won their first Drivers’ Championship since Sebastian Vettel in 2013.

The Austrian was full of praise for Verstappen’s performances.

“You could see he drove the car so over the limit, that was visible,” he told Austrian magazine Autorevue.

“And in the races, Hamilton should already know you can’t leave the smallest gap open to Verstappen.

“He’s already stabbing you before the other person sees him in the rear view mirror.

“This incredible willpower with the necessary talent makes all the difference.”

That talent has fans and pundits alike comparing Verstappen to yesteryear’s star drivers, most notably Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher.

But while Marko says one cannot compare given they raced in different eras, he feels the trio all have one thing in common.

“You can’t possibly compare them because they all raced in different periods,” he said.

“What they all have is a complete focus. You could also call it ruthlessness.

“There is nothing else but ‘I want to win and I’ll do anything for it’.

“And they grow beyond possibilities that don’t normally exist. That reminds me of Max’s qualifying lap in Jeddah.”

Verstappen will again be racing for Red Bull this season with Sergio Perez staying on as his team-mate.

PlanetF1 Verdict

Marko: Max can drive over the limit, and don’t leave him a gap

Helmut Marko has warned Lewis Hamilton not to leave Max Verstappen a gap when racing.