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Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko recently talked about the risks Max Verstappen faced due to the temperatures during the 2023 Italian GP.
Speaking to the Motorsport Network in Monza after the race, the Austrian explained that the team made Verstappen manage his temperatures. This was so that he would not risk the idea of claiming the fastest lap.
By lap 45, Max Verstappen was leading the pack by 12.710 seconds. However, by lap 51, his lead had reduced to nine seconds and he eventually crossed the finish line leading Sergio Perez by 6.064 seconds.
Asked why the gap between the Dutchman and his teammate dropped in the closing laps of the race, Marko said:
“We had to manage it and didn't want to take any risks, but it also helped to get the idea of a fastest race lap out of the head for Max.”
He added:
“That had to do with rising temperatures that we had to control. We had to keep it within a certain window. Moreover, he was 12 seconds ahead, so there was no reason to take any risks. On the other hand, this was also positive to get the idea of a possibly fastest race lap out of Max's head.”
Both Marko and Christian Horner indicated that it was highly likely that Max Verstappen would have preferred to go for the fastest lap record by the end of the race.
While the loss of time in the pit lane is significant at the Monza circuit, the 12-second gap would have not been enough for a fastest lap attempt.
Marko explained that managing tyre temperatures made the fastest lap attempt a risk and it was a way of getting the Dutchman to quit the idea of thinking of it.
Horner further explained that despite the temperatures being in control, the traffic of backmarkers that the Dutchman had to clear would mean a lot of dirty air. Therefore, the double champion was asked to power down in the penultimate laps of the race.
Asked after the race to explain the temperature management on Max Verstappen’s car, Christian Horner spoke to media including Sportskeeda and said this:
“He had to manage some temperature things and we didn't want to take any risks with that. It was extremely hot here in Monza today. We saw some parameters in terms of temperature that were still under control, but for Gasly, quite a lot of cars were together. We didn't want Max to end up in the dirty air, that's why we took it a bit easier in the last laps."
Red Bull advisor claims 10th consecutive victory record means a lot to Max Verstappen
Although Max Verstappen has stated several times that records don’t mean much to him, Helmut Marko claims otherwise.
Breaking Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine consecutive victories was special but not significant, according to the Dutchman. However, Marko claims that the Red Bull driver’s own new record of 10 consecutive wins means a lot to him.
He felt that now that the record has been secured, the double champion might relax in the upcoming races.
“Prior to this year, I never thought we could achieve something like this. This series of victories really means a lot to Max. For me personally, achieving the 100th victory for Red Bull was even more important than this, but for Max as an individual, this is, of course, very nice. Maybe Max was under a little more pressure than usual. It was quite important for him to get this record himself. Now that he has achieved that, it is a bit more relaxed for the upcoming races.”
He added:
“I just got a message from Vettel in which he said, 'Now you have to take 12 in a row with Max!' He or at least his race engineer thought it would be a record for eternity, but today we learned that everything can change.”
In the 2023 season, the Red Bull champion has now won 13 out of the 14 races so far, and the only other victory belongs to his teammate Perez.
