Helmut Marko, Red Bull advisor, insisted that Max Verstappen has achieved a “different level of maturity” in Formula 1. He praised the Dutch driver for his sensible approach to victory at Monaco on Sunday.
Charles’ Leclerc had the provisional pole, who could not start the race due to car damage. It provided Verstappen an opportunity to lead the race from start to finish. He secured his second victory of the season.
Monaco’s victory provided the Dutchman to cross Lewis Hamilton’s on championship board. Red Bull has capitalized the opportunity over Mercedes this weekend to outscore on both fronts.
Valterri Bottas was at the tail of Verstappen but could not manage to keep pressure on him. He remain clear through out and finished nine secondds earlier than Ferrari’s Carlo Sainz.
Marko praised the young driver’s maturity toward the race. He also high- lighted how he manged to keep the control of the race.
Leclerc: Not too hard on myself for Monaco
“He has certainly reached a different level of maturity,” Marko said on Sky Germany.
“We kept him on his toes with fuel modes and such. He had to understand quite a lot.
“When he started asking who had the fastest lap and with what time, we immediately blocked him and told him: ‘Forget all that!’”
Red Bull responded well in-time against Mercedes’ strategy. Lewis Hamilton was called in late into pit stop for fresh tyres. Verstappen was told not to chase the fastest lap and keep his head down with focus on the race.
Despite Hamilton acing the bonus point, Verstappen still managed to lead the championship by 4 points.
Marko revealed that the Monaco victory will help boost Verstappen career. He appreciated the Dutchman’s appraoch during the race which excels his performance.
“We haven’t had a podium here yet [with Max], although we’ve had a car that can win twice – Ricciardo proved that, after all,” Marko said.
“I think that gives him another boost of relief. It should make his performances even more confident and controlled.
“That was also very, very important for the future.”
