F1 News: Helmut Marko Calls Out Red Bull Errors Adding To Max Verstappen's Lost Victory

Red Bull reflects on strategic errors and regrets at the Austrian Grand Prix after an intense battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris led to a collision that impacted the race's outcome.

Christian Horner and Helmut Marko / Red Bull Content Pool

The 2024 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring was marked by a fierce on-track battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris which resulted in the former finishing in fifth position and the latter retiring from the race. Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has since revealed a regret from the team during the intense battle.

Earlier in the race, Norris had been flagged for repeatedly exceeding track limits, eventually earning a five-second penalty. However, the true complication for Red Bull came with a botched second pitstop for Verstappen. The delay allowed Norris to close in, putting him within the DRS window and placing additional pressure on Verstappen, who was on harder, less efficient tires due to an earlier misjudgment by the team. Expecting hotter conditions, Red Bull chose hard tires which did not offer the anticipated performance in the cooler weather, handing Norris a significant advantage with his fresher set.

Post-race, Helmut Marko, Red Bull's Motorsport Advisor, reflected on the array of tactical errors. During a candid interview with ServusTV, Marko admitted, as quoted by Autosport:

"The victory was lost by several factors.

"The fact that the [second Verstappen] pitstop went wrong, Lando slipped into the DRS window as a result, and also our assumption that the hard tires would be the better choice in hot weather, which was not the case.

"The temperatures were lower, meaning that Lando had fresh tires in the last stint and we had used ones, which was also a factor.

"But I would say that both drove unnecessarily hard. We could perhaps be blamed for this: we knew that an investigation with track limits was underway against Lando.

"But we didn't know whether and how he would be punished. So, with hindsight, you could have said: 'OK, let him go'.

"But let's look on the bright side, we've extended our championship lead, both in the constructors' championship and in the drivers' championship."