Securing a third Drivers’ title, Gerhard Berger says “never” in his life has he witnessed such a dedicated talent as Max Verstappen, but it’s a problem for Helmut Marko.
Verstappen suddenly won his third title at this year’s Qatar Grand Prix in Saturday’s sprint with six races remaining.
His total of 19 Grand Prix wins set a record for most wins in a season, and his 10 wins on the road from Miami to Italy were the longest winning streak in history.
Gerhard Berger: Greatest racing driver of all time
His 575 points are his 1 new record for most points in a season, and his 6 hat tricks are the best racing drivers of all time. It was a new record for fastest lap. This record gave him one more than Alberto Ascari in 1952 and Michael Schumacher in 2004.
Berger was awed.
“Never in my life!” the former F1 driver told Krone.
“Max is a racing driver who always gives 120 percent, like (Ayrton) Senna and Schumacher of old, or (Lewis) Hamilton of today.
“I’m convinced that Max is already back in the simulator and I’m sure he plays with all the race cars.”
Journalist “Possessed Max” jokes, to which Berger replies: He just lives for his sport, F1, using every part of his body. That is his passion which is why, for me, he is the world’s best racing driver of all time.”
Max Verstappen’s success is a ‘handicap’ for Helmut Marko. But the Dutchman’s success is, Berger joked, a problem for Red Bull Motorsport advisor Marko.
“That’s the biggest handicap for Helmut Marko, because Max doesn’t need him.
There’s nothing to criticize about Helmut, who makes zero mistakes,” he said with a laugh.
Instead, Marko has to focus solely on the other side of the garage and Sergio Perez.
But Perez’s mistakes make him an easy target for Marco.
“If you put Max and Perez together, Helmut has a good average performance,” said the 10-time Grand Prix winner.
“Just looking at (Charles) Leclerc’s overtaking maneuver against Perez on the last lap of the Grand Prix in Las Vegas, I have to say that no beginner would ever make such a mistake.”
Red Bull predicts near misses in 2024 season Red Bull has had an overwhelming record this season with 21 wins out of 22 Grands Prix, but the team expects next season to be an even tougher challenge.
When asked about Marko’s prediction on this, Berger replied: “Such statements are typical. Helmut tries to take the pressure off the boiler.
“For me personally, next year’s We believe the entire Red Bull Racing competition will be black.”
This also applies to Lewis Hamilton. Berger said he expressed concern about Red Bull’s advantage in relieving pressure on Mercedes.
“That’s just the language of Formula 1, so that we can start the new year with less pressure,” explained the Austrian.
“Even though I see Red Bull as the clear favourite, Formula 1 is always good for a surprise and something can always happen. In any case, I’m really looking forward to 2024.”
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