Red Bull chief outlines how Max Verstappen “saved them” despite having the '4th-fastest car' in some F1 races

Max Verstappen may have successfully secured his fourth World Drivers Championship earlier this year, however, Dr. Helmut Marko, senior advisor & consultant at Red Bull, spoke about how his skills as a driver were the saving grace for a car that was not up to some of the other teams'. Dr. Marko, who was an instrumental part in getting Verstappen's career in Formula 1 started, reflected on his team and the car's performance in the 2024 season.

Speaking with the Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung earlier this week, the Red Bull higher-up spoke about the car, Max, and their strategy:

"It was a very difficult year for us, especially with our technical problems. At some point we no longer knew where we had taken a wrong turn and at times we only had the fourth fastest car. In this situation Max (Verstappen, ed.) saved us by getting around the car's weaknesses. The turning point was definitely his incredible performance in the rain in Brazil. Despite the technical problems, we never made any mistakes in terms of strategy, unlike McLaren in some situations."

In the Brazil Grand Prix that Dr. Marko references, Verstappen began the race in P17, a five position drop from his qualifying position due to a penalty for taking on a new internal combustion engine. From his start towards the back of the pack, the Dutchman climbed his way through the grid, dealing with changing levels of rainfall and a red flag to take victory in Sao Paulo.

His victory in Sao Paulo was one of nine victories he achieved in the 2024 season. While Max Verstappen completed the season to win the championship with 437 points, Red Bull Racing did not win the constructors championship. They placed 3rd, behind Ferrari and McLaren, losing out on the trophy by 77 points.

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Why Liam Lawson is a good pick to race beside Max Verstappen according to Helmut Marko

Liam Lawson leads Max Verstappen on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil - Source: Getty

It was recently announced that Sergio Perez would no longer be racing alongside Max Verstappen from the 2025 season. Perez's replacement comes from Red Bull's sister team Visa Cash App RB's driver lineup, Liam Lawson.

Lawson has only had 11 starts in Formula 1, making him inexperienced when compared to his teammate Yuki Tsunoda who has had 90 starts. Speaking about why the New Zealander was picked to join the four-time World Champion next year, Dr. Marko said (via Kleine Zeitung):

"With his mental strength, Lawson is the one who is most likely to be able to hold his own alongside Max; nobody can beat him at the moment anyway. Due to his limited Grand Prix experience, we also see the greatest potential for further development in him."

Lawson will join Verstappen once the season starts up in March with the first race in Melbourne, Australia.