Helmut Marko reveals major Red Bull change in Max Verstappen title pursuit

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has revealed that the Austrian outfit's engineers have started listening to Max Verstappen on a more significant level.

Despite having fallen 104 points adrift in the F1 drivers' title after the Dutch GP, Verstappen enters this weekend's race in São Paulo just 36 points behind.

The four-time world champion has been on a relentless charge, winning three of the last five events since Red Bull introduced a new floor in Monza. 

Red Bull's Italian GP upgrades package has transformed the Milton Keynes-based squad's season, with Verstappen now having a car he feels comfortable in and can pursue Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. 

However, according to Marko, the RB21's upgrades is not the sole reason behind the team's rapid progress. 

The 82-year-old has revealed that Verstappen's voice has been heard on a more regular basis by the engineers, rather than focusing solely on the data to make improvements.

"All the changes and adjustments have come together in an optimal way," Marko told Formule 1 Magazine. 

"That is the reason why the car is now more competitive. Max has an important voice in the technical discussions there with his experience.

"It was important that the engineers started listening to Max more. They did that before, but not to the extent they do now. You know, before that it was more about numbers on the simulator or CFD (computational fluid dynamics).

"Max told the engineers what he needed, got more confidence in the car that way and it became easier to drive. The window in which the car works has become bigger."