'All Hell Broke Loose,' Helmut Marko Gives Blunt Verdict on Max Verstappen’s Spanish GP Chaos

The Spanish GP was a weekend to forget for Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing. The reigning world champion was on the backfoot against McLaren since Friday, with the race only making things go from bad to worse. The Dutch driver stirred controversy following an incident with George Russell. Now, Red Bull Motorsport Consultant Dr. Helmut Marko has asserted that it was a chaotic day for the 27-year-old.

A late Safety Car hampered Verstappen’s three-stop strategy during the race. The Red Bull star was left frustrated after being put on a set of hard tires. This left Max Verstappen with almost no traction at the restart and he was forced to go off-track while battling George Russell. The 27-year-old went on to collide with the Mercedes when he reluctantly tried to give back the position.

Critics such as Nico Rosberg have labeled the crash as an intentional act of retaliation from Verstappen. Though, the Dutchman refuses to entertain such claims. On the other hand, Ralf Schumacher believes that Max Verstappen might be trying to activate his exit clause by such performances.

Dr. Helmut Marko confessed that he had no idea what was in Verstappen’s head at the time of the incident. The 81-year-old admitted that everything fell apart as soon as the Red Bull star collided with Russell. Marko was aware that Max Verstappen didn’t want to give the position back to the Mercedes driver, but was forced to do so by the Red Bull pitwall.

The Red Bull advisor pointed out that at first it seemed that the Dutchman would let Russell pass easily as he slowed down. However, to everyone’s surprise, the 27-year-old slammed the throttle once again.

I don’t know what kind of misjudgment or thought process was going on inside him. And then, as they say, all hell broke loose. Max didn’t want to give the position back. But he was instructed to do so – he did it under protest. Max lifted off the throttle, so we all assumed he was letting Russell through. And then suddenly he accelerated again.

Helmut Marko told Servus TV

Helmut Marko admits Max Verstappen’s Spanish GP fallout was “unnecessary”

Max Verstappen’s title prospects in 2025 do not look good. The reigning world champion has won only two out of the nine races so far, with a massive gap to championship leader Oscar Piastri. At this time, every point matters for the Dutchman, as things could change by the latter half of the year. Unfortunately, the Spanish GP was a major blow to his campaign, where he dropped from fourth to tenth place following a ten-second time penalty.