feature-image

Imago

feature-image

Imago

Red Bull‘s brilliance coupled with Max Verstappen‘s sheer class on the track has left many scratching their heads. If last year was a show of absolute dominance, then what would one call the display they have dished out until now in 2023? Despite starting from P15, Verstappen finished P2 and deservedly took the Driver of the Day as well. However, the Dutchman was never going to settle for the bare minimum. Helmut Marko recently revealed how the reigning champion tricked his teammate Sergio Perez to take the fastest lap and stay on top in the standings.

Watch What’s Trending Now!

After dominating the 3 practice sessions, Verstappen ran out of luck during qualifying on Saturday. On a flying lap during Q2, Max complained of noticing something wrong with the car. He soon found himself on his way to the pit lane and, owing to a driveshaft failure, was ruled out of the rest of the qualifying. Despite that, fans rooted for him to take the top spot once again.

ADVERTISEMENT

Fans laud Max Verstappen for his ruthless mentality despite Perez’s heroics in Jeddah

After realizing that he could not challenge Checo for the top spot anymore, Max played a sly trick on his teammate to get the fastest lap. In an interview with ORF, Helmut Marko told how he did that.

Typical Max on the last lap with the fastest race lap. That was uncontrollable. That’s just Max. Both were constantly asking who had the fastest lap and Max waited until the last lap so Perez couldn’t counter. It means the lead in the world championship for him. We are very satisfied with the race,” Marko said.

ADVERTISEMENT

Read More: “All Part of El Plan”: Fernando Alonso’s Uncanny Prediction Involving Max Verstappen Comes True to Leave Fans Shell Shocked

ADVERTISEMENT

Have a look at how fans reacted to Marko’s statement, revealing how competitive the defending champ is.

Some were afraid the two Red Bull drivers were going to develop a rivalry if they were both this competitive.

ADVERTISEMENT

Another fan felt this was exactly what separated the Dutchman from the rest of the grid.

Watch This Story: Max Verstappen’s cute cats

Currently, there is just one point separating Verstappen and Perez. If this is the way they are both going to go about their business this year, fans surely are in for a treat.

Share this with a friend:

Link Copied!

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Written by

author-image

Nischay Rathore

1,111 Articles

Nischay Rathore is a senior Formula 1 writer at EssentiallySports with an impressive portfolio of over 850 published articles. With a keen eye for sports and a passion for Formula 1, soccer, and tennis Nischay has embarked on a journey in sports journalism. As a long-time Formula 1 fan, Nischay enjoys reflecting on races from the sport’s past. He shares a deep admiration for the legendary Ayrton Senna, much like the 7-time champion Lewis Hamilton. Nischay is also an ardent supporter of Chelsea FC, a team he passionately cheers for. When he's not indulging in sports or writing about them, he enjoys watching classic gangster movies like The Godfather, Gangs of New York, and Goodfellas.

Know more

Edited by

editor-image

Akash Pandhare

ADVERTISEMENT