Verstappen Regains Motivation in the Championship Fight
Red Bull Motorsport advisor Helmut Marko reveals that Max Verstappen, although he experienced a decrease in his interest in defending the title at the beginning of the season, is now fully focused on the pursuit of his fifth Formula 1 drivers’ championship. Verstappen, after reducing the distance with the championship leader, Oscar Piastri, to 55 points in the sprint race of the United States Grand Prix and securing pole position for Sunday’s race, demonstrates a resurgence in his performance. This solid performance in Austin follows two victories and a second place in the last three races, after the improvements and adjustments made by Red Bull to their 2025 single-seater.Marko believes Verstappen regained his energy after a victory in a GT3 race at the Nürburgring in September. Marko highlighted that the driver has gained “two tenths” thanks to his renewed motivation. Faced with the question of whether Verstappen is still in the fight for the title with six races to go, Marko commented that it is “too early to say, but this weekend looks promising”. Verstappen reduced Piastri’s lead in the championship with his victory in Saturday’s sprint race and took pole position ahead of Lando Norris for Sunday’s race. The defending champion, when asked if he believes in his chances for the title, preferred to focus on each race. “It’s not about believing in it, I just take it race by race,” Verstappen stated. Verstappen also expressed his satisfaction for scoring points and getting closer in the standings, although he acknowledged that he needs to improve his pace to aim for victory in Sunday’s race.Max, at a time when we were not competitive, I would say he lost a bit of interest. He was more interested in GT racing, so to keep him in a good mood, I would talk to him about Nurburgring and things like that.
Helmut Marko
In the image: Max Verstappen, Dr. Helmut Marko (Red Bull team consultant) and Raymond Vermeulen (Verstappen’s representative) in the F1 paddock.
