The super consultant Red Bull, Helmut Marko didn't like the fight between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at the Austrian GP. At the end of the GP won by Russell, Marko analyzed the episode without justifying his pupil, judged by the FIA to be responsible for the contact that led to Norris' retirement and Max's fifth place.
The battle between Verstappen and Norris it was certainly one of the most exciting of the Austrian GP, but also raised questions about the Red Bull team's handling of the race. The decision not to intervene when Verstappen and Norris started racing so aggressively may have made the difference.
A fight physics
Everything was in their hands. Max Verstappen e Lando Norris once the last pit stop at the Austrian GP was completed they found themselves alone, one against the other. When the goal is so close the tension rises and the risk of making a mistake also increases. Neither wanted to give ground to the other. Neither of them wanted to lift their foot. A scenario that is very reminiscent of the episodes of 2021 when Hamilton and Verstappen were playing for the title.
The fight was hard, physical. The teams let them race, but things came to a head when Norris came under investigation for a virtually certain penalty. To win he would have had to not only overtake Max but finish 5 seconds ahead. Madness, considering the very few laps remaining. On yet another attempt at Turn 3, after two near contacts the two touched on several occasions. These contacts caused a puncture for both, although Lando had the worst of it as he was forced to retire.
All things considered, things didn't go so badly for Max, fifth place still guaranteed him a decent haul. A situation somewhat reminiscent of Silverstone 2021, with Max Verstappen out of the picture and Lewis Hamilton on the top step of the podium. In this case Max did not keep the lead of the group, but still finished the race in the points.
Helmut Marko's words after the Austrian GP and the analysis of the contact between Verstappen and Norris
The episode was commented by Helmut Marko, Red Bull super consultant called to respond to the actions of Verstappen, who was in serious difficulty in the final stages of the race.
"We lost the victory due to several factors." Marko explained to ServusTV. “Our pit stop went badly, causing Lando to come into range of the DRS. We expected the hard tires to be the best choice, but that wasn't the case. Temperatures were lower than expected. This meant that Lando had new tires in his last stint, while we were on the used ones. This was also a factor, and Max had a stuck in turn 4 after the pit stop. The combination of these elements made our work difficult and complicated things for us."
The poorly executed pit stop had a significant impact on Red Bull's race strategy. With Norris managing to get within range of the DRS, the battle became even more intense. But it wasn't just a problem of strategy. Marko also commented on the nature of the two drivers' driving. "I think they both drove unnecessarily ferociously."he continued. "In this way, maybe we should have intervened too, because we knew there was an ongoing investigation into Lando about track limits, but we still didn't know if he would be punished. With hindsight you can say: 'Ok, let him go', but let's look at the bright side: we have increased our lead in both the Drivers' and Constructors' championships. It was a good fight until it escalated."
Source statements: FormulaPassion
