Helmut Marko makes a sarcastic comment about Charles Leclerc’s crash in qualifying at F1 Miami Grand Prix
Leclerc brought out red flags which ended the session with 1m 37s remaining, meaning Red Bull’s Sergio Perez claimed pole wh✅ile Max Verstappen was forced to settle for P9.
Ferrari driver Leclerc, who crashed in Friday practice and🌞 Saturday’s qualifying, drew the ire of Red Bull consultant Marko.
"To put it sarcastically: 'You can't driv🔯e out behind Leclerc’,” he told .
"Max was extreme🐈ly unlucky. He went a little wide in the first run and then we should have come out of ꦦthe pits earlier.
“We would have had the speed. We don't neeღd to wait for the track to improve any more.
"At least the firs🙈t two rows woul🐬d have been safe.
“But it's a ♉🎃learning phase. We wanted to concentrate completely on the last run and get the best out of it.
“The later you go 𝄹out, the better the track will be. But in this case it wa❀sn't that right decision.”
Reigning 🐎F1 champion Verstappen has bullishly claimed that he can turn a P9 start into a podium finish a🅘nd challenge for the win.
That would mean another all-Red Bull battle with his teammate Perez, who edꦡged him to victory last week in Baku.
Perez has emerged as the likeliest threat to Verstappen’s title this season, a delica🍎te situation that Red Bull must manage.
"Pole position for Checo, that's 🌃unbelievable,” Marko said.
“Here in 𒊎Miami it's more or less a second home race for him. In Miami th⭕ey speak just as much Spanish as English.
“He implemented all of that well. He has learned in all phases. He is further on in terms of tyres, can concentrate more and in recent years he has alway💟s been half a second to a second behind Max started.
“You can't get tꦦhat out in the course of one or two tr🦄aining sessions.
“But he starts🐻 closer to☂ Max now and that's why he's always in the lead overall."
James was a💃 sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
