Helmut Marko on Max Verstappen’s “harsh” penalty: “Where was he supposed to go?”

The Red Bull advisor said he was struggling to understand the “inconsistency in stewarding” after the Dutchman was slapped with a penalty

Helmut Marko disagreed with the stewards’ decision to hand Max Verstappen a five-second penalty for passing Oscar Piastri off-track in the first lap of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

“I think the race was lost at the start. And really, where was Max supposed to go?” he told Sky Germany.

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“We watched the Formula 2 races, and the same thing happened to two or three drivers. They were only given warnings. So in our view, the five-second penalty was a bit harsh… the inconsistency in stewarding is difficult to understand.”

Marko insisted it was simply a racing incident. “Yes, Piastri was ahead at the start, but at the very last braking zone, Max was slightly ahead again,” he continued. “But it is what it is.

“The positive is: we had the pace, tire wear was under control. But once again, you could see just how difficult overtaking is. After the penalty, we focused on securing P2.”

The Red Bull motorsport advisor also claimed the Dutchman would have “absolutely” won the race had it not been for the penalty.

“You could see it – he pulled a three-second gap early on. Piastri was already complaining about tire degradation. When you’re following another car, it’s always tougher. And on the second stint with the hard tires, when Max really pushed to the limit, we were closing in again,” he said.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Lars Baron

Despite the disappointing result, Marko said Red Bull never would have expected to finish second earlier in the weekend.

“If someone had told us on Friday that we’d finish second, we’d have celebrated,” he told Austrian radio station ORF. “But the car changes were so effective that we’re obviously a bit deflated not to bring home the win. Still, we showed we’ve got the speed and tire wear under control – that gives us confidence moving forward.”

When asked about Verstappen’s 12-point gap to championship leader Piastri, Marko said he wasn’t worried at all. “That’s not alarming. I remember with Vettel we once had a 40-point gap and still won the title,” he recalled from the 2012 season. “The fighting spirit is alive, and we know where the weaknesses are. Eventually, the technical fixes will pay off."

As for Piastri and Lando Norris, Marko said the team-mate rivalry could be beneficial for Red Bull. “We’d prefer if they alternate wins – it means they’re taking points from each other. I don’t think either of them is going to play second fiddle. That’s a big opportunity for us if they start battling each other,” he explained.