Marko Puzzled by Verstappen's Spanish GP Decisions Amidst Russell Clashes

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has shed light on a tumultuous closing phase of the Spanish Grand Prix for Max Verstappen, admitting confusion over the reigning champion's decision-making during the final laps which saw significant incidents and penalties. Speaking after the event, Marko highlighted a 'decisive moment' where Verstappen lost a position to Charles Leclerc following a late safety car restart. This initial sequence of events appeared to trigger a chain reaction, culminating in two separate clashes with Mercedes driver George Russell. Marko recounted the first incident with Russell into Turn 1 after the restart. While acknowledging Verstappen's detailed knowledge of regulations regarding cars going off track, he noted internal discussions deemed the situation 50-50. Verstappen was instructed by the team to cede the position back to Russell, an order the Dutchman reportedly followed under protest due to his belief Russell had gone off track independently. The situation escalated just laps later. Marko described watching Verstappen appear to slow, presumably to allow Russell past as instructed, only to suddenly accelerate again. This unexpected move led to contact between the two cars, an action Marko openly admitted puzzled him. “I don’t know what kind of misjudgment or thought process was going on inside him,” Marko commented, describing the moment as when 'all hell broke loose'. Race stewards subsequently handed Verstappen a 10-second penalty for causing the collision, dropping him to 10th place in the final classification. The penalty also included three points on his Super Licence, bringing him closer to a potential race ban threshold. Marko agreed with the stewards' penalty for the second incident, describing the move as unnecessary and resulting in a significant loss of points for the team. He suggested that a combination of incidents and incorrect decisions during the race contributed to emotions getting the better of Verstappen, referencing past clashes between the two drivers and an existing 'feud' between them. Following the race, Verstappen himself took to social media to apologise for the second incident with Russell, admitting it 'shouldn’t have happened'. Marko noted that an admission of fault from the driver is uncommon. Red Bull reportedly opted against a detailed post-race debrief on Sunday night, allowing Verstappen time alone given his heightened emotions after the difficult finish.