Marko warning to Verstappen and Perez: 'It would be very stupid'

Red Bull Motorsport Advisor Helmut Marko has warned Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez "it would be very stupid" to collide in their battle for the championship.

Dutchman Verstappen secured a stunning victory at the Miami Grand Prix after running an alternative strategy to rise from ninth on the grid, passing teammate Perez on lap 48 of 57.

Perez was powerless to resist on much older tyres than the two-time F1 World Champion, although he did put up an admirable defence into Turn 17 and then covering the inside for Turn 1.

Whilst the Mexican continued battling into the apex, the racing between the two drivers was kept clean on the way to a fourth one-two finish in five races despite the documented tension within the Red Bull camp since Brazil last year.

"They are both mature enough to fight normally, especially with such a dominant car," Marko told De Telegraaf.

"It would be very stupid to hit each other and Checo [Perez] also knew at that moment that Max had much better tyres."

Verstappen unstoppable

Verstappen's success was pinned on his remarkable pace on worn Hard tyres during the midpoint of the race, with Perez only able to match his teammate on a set of new Hards.

"This was an incredible race by Max," added Marko.

"He was fast, but also kept an eye on his tyres. That he still set the fastest lap time on the penultimate lap [of his Hard tyre stint] was impressive.

"Excluding that little moment in qualifying on Saturday [where Verstappen aborted his effort after running wide], this was one of Max's best performances.

"We were still a little worried beforehand in case there was a Safety Car, but that was not the case. Once he drove in the clear, Max was unstoppable."