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Marko has bad news for McLaren: 'Verstappen won't do that'
- Ludo van Denderen
At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to mark the end of another brilliant season in Formula 1, Max Verstappen had some fantastic news that he brought to the paddock, announcing that he and partner Kelly Piquet are expecting a baby. The due date is still unknown, but the Dutchman joked about getting to 12 penalty points to give himself some time off with a race ban. But will the Dutchman actually have a weekend away from F1 when the baby is born? Helmut Marko doesn't think so.
Speaking to Sport.de, the Red Bull advisor says that he is not assuming Verstappen will take paternity leave: "I don't believe that," the Austrian told the German website, although clarifying that Verstappen is "a family man."
"Races are his priority. Unless there are very exceptional circumstances, which we do not assume," continued the 81-year-old. For mechanics' in the paddock, in their contracts, it is stated that they are entitled to two to four Grands Prix off if they have a baby. However, Marko confirmed to the website that this is not the same in Verstappen's case. "Although the competition might wish it [was]," Marko laughed.
Verstappen slower as a father?
It is sometimes said in Formula 1 that a driver becomes three-tenths slower as soon as he is a father. But Marko is not worried about that either in regards to Verstappen: "That would mean Max would be in the range of some other top drivers, but he would still be faster," the Red Bull Racing Austrian concluded.
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy
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