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Motorsport

Who slept best last night: Helmut Marko

Max Verstappen Helmut Marko McLaren Red Bull Christian Horner Adrian Newey Lando Oscar Piastri Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing

Helmut Marko couldn’t help but break into a smile and throw in a few ironic remarks while surrounded by several Dutch Formula 1 journalists, including our own Ronald Vording, as they quizzed him about yet another stunning Max Verstappen victory at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The Austrian clearly enjoyed that Lando Norris’ engineer Will Joseph’s message to his driver was met with a brutal response from his beloved Dutchman. “We're going to go get Max,” Joseph told the championship leader…

“…and then poof, poof, poof, one fastest lap after the other,” Marko grinned.

No one was taking that victory away from his golden boy.

You’ve got to forgive Marko for what at times looks like excessive admiration for Verstappen. After all, Max is arguably the most successful project of his entire career – his greatest triumph in many years. For the doctor, Verstappen is an even more refined version of Sebastian Vettel, almost entirely free of weaknesses. Marko has built Red Bull's young driver programme over the past quarter of a century, and Verstappen embodies everything it stands for: young, aggressive, living solely for racing. Thriving under pressure, even enjoying it. And always pushing for the win.

Lando Norris, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing (Photo by: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)

It’s hard to argue against Max being the best driver in the field right now. Arguably one of the best of all time, too.

"It was an unbelievable Max Verstappen show," Marko said. "He forced Lando into a mistake in the first corner. And then he was controlling the race."

Marko barely hides that Verstappen’s fifth consecutive title is perhaps his last remaining professional dream. What he never managed with Vettel – the penta-trick – would be a perfect crowning moment of this story. It will, of course, continue: despite all the chatter of the past couple of years, Max will definitely stay at Red Bull at least through 2026. But as far as Marko himself is concerned, many say 2025 could be his final year being involved this actively. Winning five titles in a row with the most important driver of his career would be a beautiful ending.

It’s been a difficult year for Red Bull, unlike almost any other – certainly not in recent seasons. For the first time in a long while they have been the ones doing the chasing – and for most of the year even hopelessly behind. Internal politics eventually led to the departure of Christian Horner, one of the architects of all the team’s Formula 1 successes. Not long before, Adrian Newey had left as well – a figure who played an arguably even more crucial role in the titles of Vettel, Verstappen and Red Bull itself.

Helmut Marko, Red Bull Racing (Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images)

It was a proper stress test. It looked like the end of an era – especially during those moments when it seemed Red Bull might no longer be able to return to the front of Formula 1. In Hungary, in early August, Max barely scraped into Q3 and finished the race ninth, also behind one of the junior team’s cars.

The worst-case scenario didn’t even look unlikely. Without Newey, the team appeared to have lost its development direction – and without Horner, it felt stripped of part of its identity. The deficit to the McLaren drivers, which was approaching 100 points, suggested there would be no title fight at all. It seemed unthinkable he’d even win races in the latter part of the championship.

And yet, the second half of the season has been something straight out of a sugary Hollywood sports film: the underdog suddenly got its act together and launched an unbelievable run. In just seven race weekends, Verstappen completely erased the gap to Oscar Piastri in the standings – Piastri who, after Zandvoort, looked like not just a favourite, but an unshakeable one.

The fact that Piastri also got overtaken by Norris in that same period is an important detail. But if this continues along the script of a sporting melodrama, that’s simply another twist – a set-up for an even more dramatic finale.

Verstappen’s title still feels hard to believe. Norris’ 24-point advantage remains a very solid cushion. But who would have bet even a dollar that the championship picture would look like this after Las Vegas? Even the situation before McLaren’s disqualification would have seemed like pure fiction a couple of months ago.

And yet, it's not. In this championship, everything is still possible. And Verstappen’s fifth title – the one Marko longs to see – remains realistic.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing (Photo by: Chris Graythen / Getty Images)

It has become possible thanks to an almost inexplicable surge since Monza. A couple of car upgrades not only brought Red Bull back into contention for wins everywhere, but also proved that Pierre Wache is perfectly capable of doing the job – even without Newey standing behind his shoulder.

Another Frenchman, the one who replaced Horner, has already shown that no one is irreplaceable (well, apart from Verstappen, probably).

Laurent Mekies will continue insisting his contribution to the recent victories is “zero”, but with each passing weekend, that sounds more like playful modesty. What is visible from the outside is that internal conflicts have been reduced almost to that same zero – which is very handy when the focus must be solely on racing.

Red Bull is suddenly the best team in Formula 1 again – at least in a “one-car” championship. And nothing is impossible yet.

It all looked a lot harder straight after the race.

"I mean, yes, it's good, but still, it's too late," Marko replied when asked about the championship, at a time when Verstappen was still 42 points behind Norris and there were no signs yet of McLaren being in trouble. "On our own, we can't do it. We need really bad results from Lando."

"Also more than one," he was told.

"One would be already nice," Marko smiled back.

And he received that present, not even two hours later.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing (Photo by: Alex Bierens de Haan / LAT Images via Getty Images)

It’s still a mighty challenge for Verstappen and the team. Not only because of the points – but also simply because of how strong Norris has been in recent races. He is a force to be reckoned with, and you can’t just count on him slipping up. No, Lando of late has been driving like someone who deserves the title. Yet Vegas proved once again that this year’s F1 is full of surprising twists.

Marko’s dream lives on – at least for another week.