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Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko admits that he thought Red Bull's chances of winning the Austrian Grand Prix disappeared after the start.
Max Verstappen, who went on to claim the race, went into anti-stall off the line, dropping him down to the lower reaches of the points after starting on the front row.
MORE: Horner: 2019 Austria win tastes better than 2018 | Austrian GP: Verstappen storms to beat Leclerc in Austria
However, he climbed his way back to the front and overtook Charles Leclerc with a handful of laps to go to ensure Red Bull's second consecutive home race win.
"First the disappointment after the start, I thought 'Oh no, it's over'," Marko said. "And then slowly Max woke up and the last few laps were unbelievable fireworks of brilliant driving.
"Honda gave us all the power they had for the last 30 laps, the tyres were staying together and we have a fantastic chassis.
"This win is far more exciting than if he would have just done a proper start and just overtook one for the win."
Marko also praised Honda, who picked up its first win of the turbo hybrid era, having enjoyed a couple of third-place finishes earlier this year.
"We had expected the win, but after the start, we thought it was all over. But thanks to the Honda engine. It has finished every race with Max so far this year. Only one reliability since last year."
Grand Prix of Belgium
G. Zhou
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Replies (7)
Login to replycalle.itw
Posts: 8,527
I think we all share that sentiment. It looked over the instant that race started. I think a lot was down to their clever tyre strategy, but that car looked like an entirely different beast the last 20 minutes of the race. I hope this bloodies Honda's tooth further, and they release an even better spec 4. They can afford being happy with this result, but they cannot afford being content.
emprisedll
Posts: 22
I think that Mercedes and Ferrari forgot about Red Bull after the start. Honestly who could have predicted that the Red Bull car on hard tires would become such a beast. Just think about it he got the fastest lap on used hard tires from Seb who pitted for soft tires at the end.
f1fan0101
Posts: 1,804
I was in the same boat. great drive from him
f1ski
Posts: 726
it is impressive how red but can develop their car thru the year. Id like to see the telemetry data to get power numbers on the honda. When Verstappen got the engine mode 110 the car really started to fly. Impressive. I would agree that Verstappen is the best driver in the paddock now. His focus and passing ability are impressive.
emprisedll
Posts: 22
Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Hamilton is currently far above all the other drivers in the field. He's driving at his peak at the moment,maximizing every GP weekend and making less mistakes than the others.
In a few years when Max will be fighting for the WDC then you can make a proper argument for best driver. I think for now he's still too green,still making mistakes and being a hothead. The last part is at least providing us with entertainment which is good.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Though that said: Hammy is in the best car. He doesn't really have to take risks, since the pack is so dominant that he can more or less just put the pedal into the metal and blast off, never to be seen again. His only real competition is Bottas. It's different for Ferrari or Red Bull, who have to take every single risk they can just to have a jab at Merc'.
boudy
Posts: 1,168
That moment when radio from pit to Max said: "Mode 11 .. position switches". Loved that moment.