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Max Verstappen talking with Dr. Helmut Marko

Marko claims Verstappen NEEDED late pit stop to sleep after Austrian GP

Max Verstappen talking with Dr. Helmut Marko — Photo: © LAT Images

Marko claims Verstappen NEEDED late pit stop to sleep after Austrian GP

The championship leader toyed with the field by pitting late on to set the fastest lap on the final tour

Helmut Marko believes Max Verstappen needed to set the fastest lap of the Austrian Grand Prix despite his huge lead.

The Red Bull driver begged his team to pit late in the race in order to have fresh soft tyres for the final lap and after a back-and-forth with his engineer, the team accepted his request.

Verstappen duly set a blistering time on the final of 71 laps to not only claim the full 25 points but also the bonus point to complete a clean sweep after his sprint win the day before.

His lead prior to the pit stop was so large he was able to take advantage of the extra stop without worrying that Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari would catch him.

READ MORE: Horner reveals F1 team Ricciardo could join NEXT SEASON

Max Verstappen may have won but he saw his consecutive laps led run end when he pitted
Max Verstappen may have won but he saw his consecutive laps led run end when he pitted

Could't be dissuaded

Verstappen was adamant about the decision and his team knew that they could not do anything to dissuade him about it.

Any problem in the pit stop could have seen the win slip away and Marko was not at all comfortable with the decision to pit at the time.

“You could say that (he was nervous when he pitted)," Marko said to oe24.

"A pit stop is always tricky. But Max couldn't be dissuaded. He needs this to sleep well.”

READ MORE: Who is Helmut Marko? The genius behind Red Bull rise to power

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