Helmut Marko Reveals Red Bull Nerves After Max Verstappen Heroics

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko admitted the team felt "nervous" for Max Verstappen during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix when a late safety car period wiped out his significant lead.

Verstappen had dominated the race from the start, making a crucial move on Oscar Piastri for the lead at Turn 1 and building a commanding 18-second advantage.

However, the safety car intervention towards the end of the race brought the chasing pack, including McLaren, back into contention.

Despite the reduced gap, Verstappen quickly re-established his dominance after the restart, securing his second win of the season and fourth consecutive victory at Imola. Marko highlighted this performance as confirmation that the team's recent upgrade package is working effectively.

"I think the updates that have been implemented have now had their full effect," Marko told Sky DE. "We were actually the same or better than McLaren in terms of tyre wear. And Max did his laps. Then the safety car came at the end and there went the 18-second lead. We were a bit nervous, but then he pulled away impressively."

The race also saw a rare double points finish for Red Bull, with Yuki Tsunoda recovering remarkably from a pit lane start following a heavy qualifying crash to finish 10th. Marko praised the Japanese driver's effort.

"Yuki also had a very good race and finished in the points," added Marko. "So all in all I am very satisfied."