Helmut Marko believes that, such is his skill, Max Verstappen could put a Haas or Alpha Tauri on pole position... however, there's a caveat.

The no-nonsense Austrian, who has overseen his protege's career, continues to sing his driver's praises though at times he clearly gets a little carried away.

"Max would be a class of its own in every car," he tells Motorsport-Total.com. "The Max of 2020 cannot be compared with the Max of 2023, except for the same name.

"He has gained tremendous sovereignty," he enthuses. "For me, the champion of race reading was always Hamilton, as he divided his tyres. And Max is now also the same. If not even better, because it is better at basic speed.

"An incredible maturation process took place," he insists.

Marko believes that one of the Dutchman's key strengths is his ability to read conditions, especially ever-changing conditions, and react accordingly. Indeed, such is his ability the Austrian is convinced that the youngster - in the right conditions - could put an AlphaTauri or Haas on the coveted starting spot.

"If there are such conditions, he puts an AlphaTauri or Haas, who is a qualifying car, on pole," he says.

Fact is however that there are any other number of drivers who could do that, and let's not forget that it was Sebastian Vettel, Marko's previous 'golden boy', who gave Toro Rosso its first pole and win in such conditions.

Verstappen, who is contracted to Red Bull until 2028, has made no secret of the fact that when he feels the time is right he will walk away from the sport, Marko admits that this is a strong possibility.

"Max is different," he says. "He will come one day and say: 'Thank you, that's it.'"

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by elsiebc, 14/08/2023 16:08

"Do you mean like Kevin Magnussen, Marko?"

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2. Posted by kenji, 14/08/2023 13:31

"@ Spindoctor...Well there probably are but the RSPCA can't be everywhere!!!"

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3. Posted by Spindoctor, 14/08/2023 9:36

"@KENJI
surely there's laws against that kind of thing...."

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4. Posted by kenji, 14/08/2023 1:52

"Where I live it's called 'stirring the possum'/ 'poking the bear'. Marko's speciality. I thought everyone knew that."

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5. Posted by Malemoi, 13/08/2023 17:35

"What have you been smoking Helmut??"

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6. Posted by Chester, 13/08/2023 16:10

"I’d love to see Alonso in the RBR car. I think Max would edge him due to age but who knows ?"

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7. Posted by Ricardo_sanchez, 13/08/2023 11:26

"For as long as I’ve followed F1, it’s been more than 75% car, when it comes to what influences results on the track. Over the years that 75% has probably edged up to about 85%. Yes; having the best possible driver paired with the best car obviously matters. The top drivers will maybe contribute one or two more percentage points on the track and the very best can also inspire the wider team to reach new levels of motivation. But even the very best drivers would not make the slowest cars into winners. Marko is just being Marko (again). "

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8. Posted by Spindoctor, 13/08/2023 10:58

"Whilst it's obvious that Max is a fast driver & is supreme in the RBR, Marko is engaging in hyperbole with these observations. His damning Hamilton with faint praise is a typical Marko\Horner\RBR cheap shot.
I doubt Max's ego\confidence is so weak he needs this kind of hype. As is often the case with Marko I want to ask "Where's the beef?""

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Verstappen could put a Haas on pole, says Marko

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