Red Bull Technical Advisor Helmut Marko has shared his thoughts on Max Verstappen‘s winning mentality in Formula 1. Verstappen has amassed a total of 61 career wins along with three drivers’ championship titles.
Max Verstappen currently leads the title race for a fourth consecutive year. The Dutchman’s performances have compelled many to consider his name among greats such as Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.
Helmut Marko has claimed that the 26-year-old despite his competitive nature, does not want to secure the most titles. Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher share a joint record of seven world titles each.
The danger is there. Max is not a guy who wants to beat the records of [Michael] Schumacher or [Lewis] Hamilton. When he’s in the car, he wants to win, but the environment has to be right. If the whole thing no longer suits him, you can expect him to say from one day to the next: that’s it!
Helmut Marko told Sport.De
The 81-year-old claims that Verstappen will continue competing for wins until he feels like doing so. Marko then concluded that the Dutchman might forgo his cockpit for good if his heart didn’t like competing in the sport anymore.
Max Verstappen’s take on the exit clause in his Red Bull contract
Max Verstappen is currently on a contract with Red Bull until the end of the 2028 season. Given his declining run of form this year, the Dutchman is rumored to be exploring his options outside the Milton-Keynes outfit.
Maybe yes or maybe no. I repeat, I’m not thinking about this at the moment, because there are so many things this year that I want to try to understand and do better than in the years to come. What will happen next is still far away for me. So I don’t have it in my head at the moment.
Max Verstappen told Sky Italy
Verstappen has steered clear of any speculations or concerns regarding his future with Red Bull. He then answered vaguely upon being asked whether or not an exit clause is present in his current contract.
The 26-year-old has been massively outpaced by McLaren, following the end of the summer break. He has appeared dissatisfied with the RB20 complaining of its issues constantly during races. The onus is now on Red Bull to fix the issues in time in order to prevent their star man from potentially departing the squad.
