Before the Formula 1 GP in Las Vegas, Max Verstappen strongly criticized the event, considering it mainly as a spectacle – even saying he felt like a ‘clown’. The truth is that the race turned out to be intense, with a fight for podium positions until the very end – including the victory, which went to the Red Bull’s Dutch driver.
Now that the American round is over, the team’s consultant, Helmut Marko, told De Telegraaf that Verstappen should have had a more condescending approach to the GP before it took place: ‘Max is very straightforward, but maybe he could have said things in a slightly more diplomatic way. But he has now made up for everything. I’m sure the organizers are very happy with him now’.
In any case, the Austrian also showed understanding towards the three-time champion: ‘They also have to consider that we are at the end of the season. Everyone is tired, the staff here had difficulties with jet lag and dark circles. Max, in general, doesn’t like all the marketing and public relations hassle and 80 percent of our sponsors are American and they were all here. I believe his reaction would have been different if we had been here earlier in the season. It’s okay that it ended well. A race like this once a year is fine’.