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Max Verstappen claimed victory at the United States Grand Prix last weekend, comfortably pulling away from his rivals Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris. But according to Helmut Marko, it was Leclerc’s early-race defense that played a key role in securing Red Bull’s win — and the Austrian advisor is more than a little grateful.
Leclerc holds the line
Verstappen made a clean start from pole and held his position into Turn 1, while Leclerc, starting on soft tires, rocketed off the line. The Monegasque driver swept past Norris and even launched a brief attack on Verstappen before settling into second place. From there, he spent several laps holding Norris behind him, buying the Red Bull driver valuable breathing room. Norris finally got through on lap 21, but by then Verstappen had built a healthy cushion that he never relinquished.
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“I should send him a few crates of Red Bull!”
Speaking to international media after the race, Marko admitted he was thankful for Leclerc’s efforts — and couldn’t resist a joke. “I should probably send Leclerc a few crates of Red Bull!” he laughed. “It was really valuable that we weren’t under pressure right from the start. Still, we had the pace today — even if Lando had been right behind us, I think we could’ve handled it.”
The gap is shrinking
Marko was also full of praise for Verstappen’s performance, noting that Red Bull’s recent upgrades have closed the gap to McLaren. “There are no more McLaren or Mercedes circuits now,” he said. “The difference in the corners is just a few thousandths.”
“We’ve got the fastest driver”
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella admitted after the race that Red Bull now looks like the team to beat — but Marko wasn’t ready to agree completely. With a grin, he quipped: “No, I don’t think so. We just have the fastest driver!”
Momentum back at Red Bull
Marko’s trademark mix of confidence and dry humor underscored the mood at Red Bull: after a difficult stretch earlier in the season, Verstappen and the team are back in sync. And
if Leclerc’s defensive heroics helped make that possible, a few cans of Red Bull might just be in order.
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