Helmut Marko’s new Max Verstappen comments show Red Bull will do whatever it takes to keep him happy amid exit rumours

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Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen was far from pleased at the end of the Spanish Grand Prix.

Christian Horner’s team have become synonymous with making the best strategic choices in Formula 1.

Max Verstappen had a pace deficit to both McLaren drivers so Red Bull decided to put him on an unusual three-stop strategy.

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were suddenly under pressure and even though they came out in front of Verstappen when the pit stops shook out, they were forced to push far harder than they would have liked.

Unfortunately for Red Bull, Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s car failure brought out an unexpected safety car and left Verstappen out of tyre options, forcing him onto the hard compound.

Red Bull then told Verstappen to let George Russell pass after a tangle at turn one which led to the controversial moment where he appeared to drive into the Mercedes driver.

Verstappen has since responded to the incident, but Helmut Marko’s comments after the Spanish Grand Prix highlight just how important the 27-year-old is to their future success.

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Helmut Marko deflects Max Verstappen criticism after the Spanish Grand Prix

Marko was asked by ORF if Verstappen got ‘carried away’ after the final safety car given his tussles with Leclerc and Russell and explained: “Well, there was a situation where we only had one set of hard tyres left and the alternative would have been a seven-lap-old soft tyre.

“The assumption was that the hard tyres would be the better solution, but it was a disaster in the warm-up [phase] and also in the grip. It was at least a second slower than the competitors had on a good soft.”

It was then put to the Red Bull chief that Verstappen had fallen back into his ‘old patterns of behaviour’ and Marko continued: “I mean, he showed emotion and those two fights were a bit tough, I’d say.

“But I haven’t seen the replay yet, so I don’t want to judge yet.”

Marko went on to explain that Verstappen ‘wasn’t involved’ in the decision to put on hard tyres, removing any blame from his star driver for a poor but potentially necessary strategy choice.

In an interview with Sky Germany F1, Marko revealed that Verstappen was ‘upset’ behind the scenes after the race which he said was understandable given how the race ended.

However, he brought some of that misery on himself with his conduct during his clash with Russell.

READ MORE: Who is Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko? Everything to know

Red Bull must keep Max Verstappen onside to secure his long-term Formula 1 future

Marko would have been studying Sunday’s race intensely and to say he didn’t see the incident properly seems very unlikely.

Verstappen wasn’t happy with the decision to put him on hard tyres and the fact he quickly fell back to fifth highlights what a poor choice it was.

Russell wasn’t impressed with Verstappen and his comments after the race but Red Bull know that they can’t turn against their star driver.

Horner has repeatedly, throughout his career, defended the four-time world champion and his lack of interaction with the media after the race speaks volumes.

Verstappen has a contract until the end of the 2028 season, but it’s not quite as straightforward as that.

Red Bull know Verstappen has a get-out clause that could be activated this season and every team on the grid would have to consider hiring the Dutchman if he became available.