Helmut Marko, the Red Bull Racing advisor is of the opinion that only Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen can fight it out for the Championship. Even though Red Bull and Mercedes both has capable drivers in the form for Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, but Marko feels they don’t quite fit in the category where Lewis and Max belongs as of now.
As predicted by the Formula One pundits and fans Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are rightfully the title contenders this season. Lewis leading the Championship by 8 points with 69 points in total after three races, while Verstappen managed to amass 61 points.
Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes AMG F1 is not letting Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing to go ahead at the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 28, 2021. (Photo by Clive Mason – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
- Toto Wolff is “Worrying too much” About Red Bull, Claims Helmut Marko
In an interview, Helmut conveyed in this regard, “In the last three races, it’s become pretty clear that only Hamilton and Verstappen can fight for the championship. The bottom line is that there are only two drivers who are in contention for the championship.”
✨ O N E H U N D R E D ✨@LewisHamilton makes it an incredible century of pole positions in Formula 1!#SpanishGP 🇪🇸 #F1 pic.twitter.com/jJmw8jTLr2
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 8, 2021
When asked about the calibre of new Red Bull recruit Mexican Sergio Perez and Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas, the 78-year-old advisor further asserted, “Perez is still having trouble settling in, but he’s getting stronger. In terms of overall performance and consistency, he simply lacks the last two tenths on Max.”
Max Verstappen took the lead from Lewis Hamilton at the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 28, 2021. (Image courtesy: Red Bull Racing Official Twitter Handle)
“Bottas isn’t as strong in the decisive moment after all, and he also has weaker days, as you saw in Imola. And at race pace, as we saw in Portugal, Hamilton again put Bottas in his place,” concluded Helmut Marko.
As the current leaderboard stands, it’ll be interesting to see who gets to have their last laugh at the end of the season. Will it be Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton with his record breaking eight Championship title? Or will it be Max Verstappen for Red Bull winning his first ever Championship? Whatever the case is, this season will be a treat to watch for the fans.
