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Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has never wavered in his belief in the team, even when Max Verstappen has.
Max Verstappen won the Qatar Grand Prix despite not being the fastest driver after a huge strategy blunder from McLaren.
Oscar Piastri was the best driver in Qatar, but had to settle for second place, almost certainly ending his hopes of winning the drivers’ championship.
Who has been your Qatar Grand Prix Driver of the Day?
Verstappen is now 12 points behind Lando Norris going into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and Red Bull are in the favourable position of being able to fully back one driver, rather than split their allegiances between two.
Earlier in the season, Verstappen ruled out winning the title, alleviating the pressure on his team.
However, since Christian Horner was sacked by Red Bull, the team have turned a corner, and Helmut Marko has revealed a prediction he made after the 52-year-old’s exit that could now come true in Abu Dhabi.
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A report from the Dutch outlet De Telegraaf has shared more details about Marko’s post-race thoughts.
When it was put to Verstappen that McLaren CEO Zak Brown compared him to a character from a horror film as he keeps coming back, the four-time world champion said: “Yes, you can call me Chucky.
“I thought it was a funny comment. But I mainly focus on myself and know that I get the most out of it when I’m in the car.”
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The report then moves on to what Marko said after the race and the change he expected to see under the new team principal, Laurent Mekies.
“When Laurent Mekies took over as team boss in July, I addressed the people at the factory,” Marko explained.
“At the time, I said it was still possible and that we had to fight for it.
“So I’ve always been optimistic. Did people say I was crazy? Yes, maybe, but that’s often the case…”
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Max Verstappen emphasises Red Bull strategy call after Qatar Grand Prix victory
During the race, it was immediately clear that McLaren put themselves on the back foot by not pitting under the safety car that came out on lap seven.
Verstappen was the first of 17 drivers to capitalise, and that put him on the front foot to win his seventh Grand Prix of the season.
For the first time since 2010, three drivers go into the final race of the season in contention to win the championship
Speaking in his official post-race media session, Verstappen said: “I feel great, I am really proud of that one.
“We made the right call as a team there to box: it was definitely what made us win the race today, as I felt like we were not on the same level as McLaren in terms of pace.
“When a safety car comes in, it can shake up the grid, and that was a great opportunity for us to then win the race. We did a very good job as a team, and I was very proud of us, especially as we nailed the strategy.”
Verstappen is going into Abu Dhabi with the mindset that he has ‘nothing to lose’, which is exactly the opposite of how Norris will be feeling.
Andrea Stella has confirmed there will be no McLaren team orders, which could be the final tactical blunder from the team that could make Marko’s ‘crazy’ prediction come true.
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