Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko admitted he wasn’t shocked that Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s duel in Formula 1‘s Mexico City Grand Prix ended in a clash.
Qualifying a disappointing fifth at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Verstappen did not hide his low expectations for the race, aiming to stay within the top four.
Becoming involved in the first corner chaos, he took to the grass, missing the barrier by inches before rejoining and then launching a dive on Hamilton six laps later.
The arch-rivals collided at Turn 3, Verstappen taking to the grass after running wide in his defence, Hamilton out-braking himself into Turn 4 and losing further spots.
The stewards awarded Hamilton a 10-second penalty for the incident, while Verstappen was unleashed to hunt down rivals to secure third come the chequered flag.
Marko revealed he not only envisaged the latest on-track battle between the pair being contentious, but also had faith that all hopes for a decent result were not lost.
“Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton… Whenever they meet on the track, there is something wrong,” he said via RacingNews365.
“I was the only one who thought positively. Nobody wanted to bet with me.”
Faith in short supply at Red Bull in Mexico
Marko revealed he had a private conversation with Verstappen ahead of the race, confirming Red Bull thought the chances of turning the situation around were next to negligible.
“Nobody believed it,” he divulged. “But I told Max that morning to think positively. And then we saw what was possible.
“Max delivered this incredible stint. He was really pushing the limits, but at the same time kept the tyres alive.
“I was always worried that the tyres would fail. But he more or less ran his 1:21.2s lap after lap, always within half a tenth of a second. That’s just Verstappen.”
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