Marko balks at RB20: 'Normally this is ideal for Verstappen'

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reaction helmut marko after p2 max verstappen silverstone
7 July at 18:18
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  • Corwin Kunst

Max Verstappen crossed the line in second place in the British Grand Prix and he was fine with that result. Yet a victory still came close in the final laps when he came within two seconds of winner Lewis Hamilton on hard tyres. According to Helmut Marko, Red Bull Racing was two laps short of overtaking the seven-time world champion.

From dry, to wet, to dry. The drivers had to deal with treacherous conditions, but excelling as Verstappen used to in the rain was not in the cards at Silverstone. The RB20 did not allow that at Silverstone.

"We had problems in the first stint, which were actually unexpected. We suffered a lot of graining, especially when it got wet," Marko told Austrian broadcaster ORF. Verstappen used up his tyres hard and could not keep up with the pace of the front. "These are normally ideal conditions for Max, but unfortunately we lost a lot of ground then."

Choices at pit wall excellent

At one point it looked like Verstappen would have to settle for a place next to the podium, but good decisions at the pit wall ensured that 18 important points for the world championship were still taken. This meant Verstappen finished ahead of closest rival Lando Norris, who finished third at Silverstone.

"The call for intermediates was good and also with the choice of hard tyres in the closing stages we got it right, but we were two laps short. That was again Hamilton's strength. You can see what a master he is, that he can read a race and push the tyres exactly so that they don't collapse," the 81-year-old team advisor concluded.