Red Bull pinpointed the Spanish GP as a potential Championship-defining moment, with the Austrian team optimistic the new flexi-wing directive would turn the tide in the favour.<\/p>\n
Christian Horner<\/a> and Helmut Marko<\/a>, to varying degrees, were vocal about their optimism heading into Barcelona.<\/p>\n Ultimately, this conviction was misplaced – as McLaren maintained an advantage over the rest of the field.<\/p>\n Thanks to a crafty three-stop strategy, Red Bull managed to put the papaya duo under pressure.<\/p>\n This hard work was undone after the Safety Car, which triggered a sequence of events that culminated in a 10-second penalty for Verstappen after intentionally hitting into George Russell.<\/p>\n Helmut Marko admits he does not have an explanation for the Dutchman’s decision-making.<\/p>\n There are few people with greater confidence in the abilities of Max Verstappen than Helmut Marko.<\/p>\n The 81-year-old was instrumental in the 4-time Champion’s progression into Formula 1 and later ascension to Red Bull.<\/p>\n Because of this, Marko is typically one of the most vocal to praise and, in other cases, defend Verstappen from race to race.<\/p>\n Last weekend was an exception, though, with the Austrian offering no defence for his driver’s incident with George Russell<\/a>.<\/p>\nHelmut Marko cannot understand Max Verstappen “thought process” during Russell clash<\/h2>\n