Dr. Helmut Marko is now contemplating the possibility of Red Bull achieving an extraordinary and unprecedented clean sweep of victories in the 2023 Formula 1 season.
Following Max Verstappen’s triumphant eighth consecutive win at Spa Francorchamps, his championship lead over his teammate has surged to an impressive 125 points.
Remarkably, Red Bull has emerged victorious in every single race this season.
When asked about the likelihood of a full clean sweep, Marko responded after the Belgian GP, saying, “Realistically, I have to say no. But we already have 12 wins, and at the beginning, we thought it was unattainable – so who knows?”.
Verstappen faced minor challenges during the Sunday race, including a tense moment maneuvering through the slippery Eau Rouge, a broken winning trophy, and on-air disputes with his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase.
Regarding the latter, team boss Christian Horner assured that their enduring and trust-filled relationship remains solid, humorously adding, “The only problem is that their conversations are heard by about 200 million people.”
As Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez regains form to the delight of Red Bull, it becomes evident that the team leader is reaching unprecedented levels of historical F1 dominance.
Marko expressed his thoughts on Perez’s P2 finish at Spa, stating, “Second place behind Max is like a victory.”
Horner jokingly quipped, “I was surprised that it took Max so long to get to the front.”
Marko further opined, “He probably would have won even if he started from last on the grid.”
For Red Bull’s rivals, the current Formula 1 season has been a bitter pill to swallow as the sport now enters its summer break.
Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur acknowledged the challenge, saying, “Last week in Budapest, I had to address questions about why McLaren was performing well while we seemed to lag. Now, we’re ahead of them again.”
He added, “Our pace compared to Checo (Perez) was good as well, but there is no doubt that Max is in another league.”
In contrast, Mercedes’ Toto Wolff heads into the break with concerns about the team’s upgrade package at Spa, which caused the drivers to experience ‘porpoising’.
Wolff candidly admitted, “Our tools to measure downforce, which have been reliable for the past ten years, are currently not functioning as expected.”
Regarding Verstappen, Wolff said, “I think we just need to ignore him because the second Red Bull is where we stand. Without Max, we would have a closely fought and fantastic season.”
Former F1 driver Timo Glock humorously remarked, “You’d have to say that Max could basically win if he spent the entire weekend on hard tyres.”
“Or without a front wing,” he added with a smile.
