Formula 1 Portuguese GP
Marko says "something has to change" on F1 track limits
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko believes "something has to change" with Formula 1's track limits system after Max Verstappen was denied a fastest lap bonus point at Portimao.
Luke Smith
Edited: May 3, 2021, 10:09 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Verstappen took a free pitstop late on in a bid to set the fastest lap in the closing stages of the Portuguese Grand Prix, which he managed after beating Valtteri Bottas's benchmark by 0.016 seconds on the final lap.
But Verstappen's time was deleted shortly after the chequered flag when race control deemed that he had exceeded track limits at Turn 14.
Verstappen was left puzzled by the decision, incorrectly claiming that track limits were not being policed at the corner when they had been since the start of running on Saturday.
Marko was particularly unimpressed by the track limits call, saying it was "annoying".
"Now we've lost the victory, fastest lap, and pole position," Marko said on Sky Sports Germany after the race. "All good things come in threes. I hope that's the end of it.
"Something has to change. Either you make a boundary with kerbs or you make gravel or something. If you go out, there's an automatic penalty.
"[Lando] Norris overtook [Sergio] Perez, went over with all four wheels, and there were no consequences. So it's not consistent, and that's not racing when you juggle the rules like that."
Read Also:
- Verstappen: Losing point for fastest lap was "odd"
- Portuguese GP: Hamilton passes Verstappen, Bottas to win
Verstappen missed out on victory in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix after he was deemed to have gone off track to complete a pass on Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages of the race.
The Dutchman set the fastest lap in Q3 at Portimao on Saturday, but had it deleted after exceeding track limits at Turn 4.
Perez was overtaken by McLaren driver Norris after the safety car period, but shared Marko's view that the move was completed off-track at the exit of Turn 5.
"I looked at my mirrors and I thought Lando was totally off the track limits," Perez said.
"Therefore, I didn't fight the position hard enough, thinking that he was going to give me back the place, but I probably misjudged that one.
"It took me a couple of laps to get past Lando and that created the gap to the leaders, that I was basically out of the race by then."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Portuguese GP: Hamilton passes Verstappen, Bottas to win
Next article Hamilton explains costly "split-second" glance at restart
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Luke Smith
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
Formula 1
Formula 1 Jul 22, 2025
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Formula 1
Formula 1 Apr 19, 2023
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Formula 1
Formula 1 Feb 18, 2023
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
More from
Max Verstappen
F1 driver contracts: How long is each driver tied down for?
Formula 1
Formula 1 1 d
F1 driver contracts: How long is each driver tied down for?
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
2 d
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
More from
Red Bull Racing
“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return
Formula 1
Formula 1 1 d
“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return
Latest news
The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup 9 h
The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season
‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 9 h
‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes
BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC
WEC
WEC WEC
Monza
11 h
BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC
The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
13 h
The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe