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Marko loses €500 bet to Horner over Verstappen pole position

Max Verstappen took pole position for the Abu Dhabi GP much to the delight of Christian Horner, who will now receive five hundred euros from Helmut Marko.

Christian Horner is €500 up after Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying, as Max Verstappen ensured Helmut Marko lost a bet. Following a difficult practice for the team, Motorsport Advisor Marko bet Team Principal Horner that Verstappen would not earn a front-row. He did better than that, and claimed a fourth straight Abu Dhabi pole, pipping Charles Leclerc by a tenth. On the cool down lap, Horner came over the radio to tell Verstappen: "Well done mate, you've just won me €500 off Helmut, which is like getting blood out of stone. Fantastic job." Verstappen was bemused by the outcome, asking "What world are we living in?" after Marko lost the bet. "It was about €500. Christian said Verstappen would be on the front row. I said: 'No, on the second row'," Marko told Sky Germany. "The money will go to the bar, for the mechanics, so they can have a nice evening on Sunday night."

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