Jun.15 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko is upbeat about Max Verstappen’s chances in the Canadian GP on Sunday.
Pessimistic before the weekend, the Red Bull advisor’s spirits have risen across the practice and qualifying sessions – culminating in P2 on the grid in Montreal.
“If we look at the race simulations, the tyre wear on Mercedes was clearly worse,” the Austrian said.
Championship leader Oscar Piastri – P3 on the grid – agreed, telling Viaplay: “He (Verstappen) doesn’t just look fast over one lap, but also in the race simulation.”
Indeed, McLaren is having an off weekend in Canada, with Mercedes’ George Russell on pole. It sets up the potential for more wheel-to-wheel fireworks between Russell and Verstappen, a fortnight after their highly controversial clash in Barcelona.
Verstappen, however, is utterly sick of talking about the looming threat of a race ban. If he gets through Austria in a fortnight, his super license begins to shed penalty points.
A reporter asked him about the FIA’s Excel-based spreadsheets that outline the complex schedule of how offending drivers clear their slates.
“I don’t look at them,” the quadruple world champion replied. “That’s much easier to understand. I’m not that good with Excel.”
After qualifying, he refused to answer any more questions about whether a repeat clash with Russell on Sunday will see him on the sidelines in Austria.
“I don’t need to hear it again,” he snapped. “It’s really p*ssing me off. It’s such a waste of time. It’s very childish.
“That’s why I don’t want to say too much, because it’s really annoying – this world that we live in.”
Another reporter tried again a few minutes later, and was faced with total silence. Even Russell had explained on Thursday that he has no hard feelings and even laughed at Verstappen’s suggestion in Barcelona that he would bring the British driver “tissues” after their next clash.
“That was quite funny, to be fair,” said the pole-sitting Mercedes driver. “I did have a giggle about that.”
Even as Grand Prix Drivers’ Association co-director, Russell says the incident was not discussed in the 20 drivers’ private WhatsApp group.
“No, we don’t talk about things like that,” he said. “Things like this happen in motorsport, and there’s no need to discuss them.”
However, Russell did suggest he can afford to push his elbows out into turn 1 on Sunday. “I mean, I’ve got a few more points on my license to play with,” he said.
“Neither of us are really in a championship battle, I haven’t had a win this year, so I want to get one on the board. Time will tell.”
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