Helmut Marko: We will receive new items in Imola

      During the Miami Grand Prix, Max Verstappen experienced a storm of emotions – the birth of his daughter, a sprint penalty, a pole position and a fourth place finish. Helmut Marko, Red Bull's motorsport consultant, told in an interview everything he thinks about the past race weekend.

      Question: What conclusions can be drawn from the results of the race in Miami?Helmut Marko: We weren't fast enough. In one fast lap, Max makes up for a lot with his skill – that's what I call the "Verstappen factor." But in the race, we saw that McLaren, unfortunately, can drive at incredible speeds.

      Question: At the finish, Max lost forty seconds to the winner Oscar Piastri... Helmut Marko: That's really a lot. The gap would have been even bigger if Max hadn't been driving ahead of the McLaren in the first laps and slowing them down. As George Russell's third place shows, Mercedes is faster than us, so we need to come up with something really powerful.

      Question: What exactly are we talking about?Helmut Marko: We have to put in a lot of effort to get more speed out of the car.

      Q: During the race, Max repeatedly complained about problems with the brakes ... Helmut Marko: And on Saturday we had a disastrous pit stop, which was not Max's fault, so now a lot is happening.

      Question: But is Max happy about the birth of his daughter?Helmut Marko: He just showed me some photos, and that was it. In Miami, all the attention was focused on racing.

      Q: Will things get better at Imola in the next stage?Helmut Marko: We will receive technical innovations. The question is whether they will bring us closer to McLaren. They have an incredibly fast car. Let's be honest, Max's pole position in Miami was only possible because both McLaren drivers and Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli made a mistake in their last attempt.

      Question: What do you think about Oscar Piastri's performance?Helmut Marko: I'm very impressed. He always keeps his cool and constantly puts pressure on his opponents. But I would not underestimate our Isaac Hajjar either. He was only a few hundredths short of earning points.

      Question: On the other hand, Yuki Tsunoda earned one point that Hajjar could have earned for tenth place. Did you congratulate him?Helmut Marko: Yes, Yuki is getting better and better. He is the first partner of Max, who is fully able to appreciate how good Max is. Unfortunately, when the pressure increases, Tsunoda still makes mistakes.

      Question: Let me ask you a question about your future. You mentioned Sebastian Vettel as one of the possible successors. Do you see him in this role?Helmut Marko: I had such an idea once, but it has nothing to do with reality. We are still far from that. I do not know if they will want to dismiss me at the end of the year, but I do not plan to resign myself yet. When you sit around, you start to rust.