Helmut Marko has admitted he's told drivers at Red Bull "it's just not possible" to beat Max Verstappen with the Dutchman currently the leading light in F1.
After his controversial title win in 2021, Verstappen has been simply dominant this year, r acking up a record breaking 14 Grand Prix wins. Teammate Sergio Perez sits second in the standings, albeit with a gap of 136 points. The Mexican represents the world champion's fourth partner at Red Bull, following Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, and Alex Albon.
Like the previous three, Perez has been forced to play second fiddle to the 25-year-old prodigy. And Marko, who oversees the team's driver development programme, hasn't been afraid to let the quartet know who is No 1.
At some stage, you have to recognise there is someone who is special and it’s just not possible to beat him,” said Marko during an interview with Road and Track. "It’s my job to make them understand that. Is that cruel? I don’t think so.
“To have Max as a team-mate is not a nice part of your career. Max is so special. He was trained in a very tough way by his father [Jos], but very successfully."
Marko, 79, claimed that in the past, Verstappen's partners have reverted to making amendments to their car in a futile bid to match him: “They compare their car with his,” added the Austrian. “‘Do I have the same material?’ They think ‘how can I overcome him?’
“They can’t, so they try to change the set-up on the car or adapt their driving style. Of course, you can’t accept that you are simply not as good as him.”
Despite Verstappen sealing his second title in Japan last month, it's been a tempestuous period for Red Bull, after an FIA investigation concluded they breached the budget cap by £1.86 million last season. Despite initially denying they'd transgressed, Christian Horner and co later accepted a £6.05 million fine and a 10% reduction in wind tunnel time.
The team, and Verstappen, also boycotted interviews with Sky Sports at the Mexico Grand Prix last week. This came after reporter Ted Kravitz said Lewis Hamilton was "robbed" of the 2021 crown, referring to Verstappen's dubious win at the season ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
