Helmut Marko has walked away from qualifying at the Bahrain Grand Prix slightly richer after winning a bet following Max Verstappen's pole position lap.
The Dutchman took to the top of the timesheets by two-tenths of a second over Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the Bahrain International Circuit despite failing to top a session up to Q2.
Speaking to ServusTV, Marko revealed that he had a bet in place with Verstappen's Race Engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.
"I earn €50, but I have to give €25 of that to Max - he's a tough negotiator." he laughed.
“We worked hard after practice and then, of course, the Max factor came around the corner again.
“It's nice to be able to start the race here at the front of the field.”
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Marko satisfied with Perez performance
While Verstappen stormed to his 33rd career pole position, teammate Sergio Perez was classified in fifth place and shares the third row with Fernando Alonso.
Despite sitting three and a half tenths down on Verstappen's time, Marko was pleased with Perez's performance and is optimistic about his race-day chances.
"Yes, we are very satisfied, also with Sergio on P5.
“Here you can overtake well, so for the race we are optimistic. It was a difficult day.
“Leclerc was strong, as we expected. However, in the last sector, it wasn't optimal from Verstappen, but it was enough for pole position."
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