Max Verstappen: Helmut Marko reveals what’s behind Red Bull’s takeover and the F1 champion’s motivation | F1 News

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko says a “different approach” to their car’s engineering is behind the surge in form that has catapulted Max Verstappen into Formula 1 title contention.

The Milton Keynes-based team’s season – which saw the sacking of long-serving and wildly successful team principal Christian Horner in July to be replaced by Laurent Mekies – had threatened to head towards a disappointing end amid McLaren’s dominance of the constructors’ championship and Verstappen’s apparent fall from the drivers’ title race mid-season.

However, Verstappen is now firmly back in contention for a fifth successive McLaren drivers’ crown after winning three of the last four races and finishing in the top two of five events since the August summer break.

He cut a 104-point deficit to championship leader Oscar Piastri to just 40 points with five race weekends remaining, starting with the live Mexico Grand Prix. Sky Sports F1 this weekend.

And Marko, the company’s motorsport advisor, attributed the team’s revival to a change in approach.

“It’s a different approach on the engineering side, they work very well together,” Marko said. Sky Sports F1 in Austin.

“They ask the driver what they want.”

Asked more broadly about Verstappen’s role in the development and fine-tuning of the car, Marko said: “Very good technical understanding, but it’s more about how he would like to have the car. He has confidence.”

“Before, in some races the car was running with a very small margin and he didn’t have confidence. And now he likes the car and that keeps his confidence up, and of course he sets fantastic lap times.”

‘He lost a bit of interest’ – Marko explains how Verstappen rediscovered ‘two tenths’

Before unexpectedly winning the Italian Grand Prix at Monza – the scene of Red Bull’s least competitive performance of 2024 – in early September, four-time reigning world champion Verstappen had gone eight races and almost four months without a Grand Prix victory.

Indeed, heading into the summer break, Verstappen had not finished on the podium in four consecutive races for the first time since 2018, with Red Bull struggling for consistent form with its RB21 car.

Marko, a close confidant of Verstappen, suggested that the Dutchman’s interest in the season had actually started to wane amid Red Bull’s struggles, but that driving, and ultimately winning, in an endurance race at the Nordschleife in September had a role to play in what followed.

“Max, at a time when we weren’t competitive, I would say he lost interest a little bit,” Marko said.

“He was more interested in GT racing, so to keep him in a good mood I would talk about the Nürburgring and things like that.

“But now that the car is working and his success at the Nürburgring, I would say two tenths is from him because he is really motivated, he is having fun, you can’t hear him shouting, he is smiling – that’s what you need.

Thursday October 23
9 p.m.: Drivers’ press conference
00:00: Paddock Uncut (Friday morning)

Friday October 24
7 p.m.: Practice 1 of the Mexico GP (session starts at 7:30 p.m.)
9 p.m.: The F1 Show
10 p.m.: Team leaders press conference
10:45 p.m.: Second practice for the Mexico GP (session starts at 11 p.m.)*

Saturday October 25
6:15 p.m.: Third practice for the Mexico GP (session starts at 6:30 p.m.)
9:00 p.m.: preparation for qualifying for the Mexico GP*
10 p.m.: MEXICO GP QUALIFYING*

Sunday October 26
6:30 p.m.: Grand Prix Sunday: preparation for the Mexico GP*
8 p.m.: THE MEXICO GRAND PRIX*
10 p.m.: Checkered flag: reaction from the Mexico GP

*also on Sky Sports Main Event

The exciting Formula 1 title race continues this weekend at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for the Mexico Grand Prix, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime