Marko hails Verstappen after title victory 'masterstroke'

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has hailed Max Verstappen after the Dutchman secured his fourth F1 drivers' title in the Las Vegas Grand Prix. 

Starting from fifth, Verstappen showed strong early pace and progressed into second, before falling back to fifth in the closing stages. 

Lando Norris had no response to the Red Bull driver's early race pace, with Marko rating Verstappen and the team's performance as a "tactical masterstroke".

Marko had become unsure whether Verstappen would defend his title after the Milton Keynes-based team's dreadful performance in Monza, but praised the 27-year-old for turning things around.

"In Monza I was skeptical," Marko told Sky DE. "But then, fortunately, we turned it around and during the race it was a tactical masterstroke. 

"He showed what speed was possible in the early stages, but then turned his attention to the championship and brought his car home in a sovereign way, with great style."

What has impressed Marko the most about Verstappen's title defence this season is how he has remained competitive even when the RB20 has not been the quickest car.

"There were a few races where the car was not the fastest, but it still won," added Marko. 

"And Monza was definitely the low point, but still he did it time after time and got the maximum out of it. 

"Not a single accident. And in the phase where sometimes we were only fourth in terms of speed, he still managed to stabilise the gap or the lead every time."

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