Marko credits brave upgrades for Red Bull gains

Red Bull counselor Helmut Marko believes the team’s gains versus Ferrari are lanugo to the bravery it showed by upgrading its car at Imola.

Max Verstappen scored maximum points wideness the weekend by winning the Sprint and then completing the grand slam of win, fastest lap and leading every lap in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. With Sergio Perez finishing second to requite Red Bull its first one-two since Malaysia in 2016, Marko (pictured at middle, above) says the fact that the team risked introducing an update on a weekend where there’s just one practice session was crucial.

“It was funny, I told Perez surpassing the start ‘We have to have a one-two so we can reservation up’ and succeeding he said, ‘You asked, so we did it!’” Marko told SpeedCity Broadcasting. “So if it is as easy as that we will tell them increasingly often!

“It’s very satisfying, and without the problems we had in Melbourne and at the first race, we showed we have the potential and we have the speed to react. We were unflinching — we brought an update and with the sprint format you just have one session to adjust. That session was partly wet, so it was plane increasingly difficult but we believe and we trust in our piloting — that’s why our senior of piloting was on the podium — and it proved to be right.

“Max is a suburbanite who attacks, and we are moreover — I wouldn’t say aggressive, but we are not sitting on the heinie and waiting. If something is coming, we go for it and we work for it.”

Marko has moreover been impressed by Perez’s level of performance this season, regularly valuables Verstappen up to ensure Red Bull is just 11 points overdue Ferrari in the constructors’ championship.

“Checo was second once in Australia and he would have been second without the fuel problem in the first race. So he’s improving. He’s much closer to Max now, and he’s a very good team player. You saw they were like a couple on the podium — the whole undercurrent is really good and that makes the team so strong.”