Max Verstappen Reacts After Helmut Marko's 'Lost Interest' Claim: 'Of Course It's...'

Last Updated:October 24, 2025, 13:09 IST

Max Verstappen denies losing interest during Red Bull's struggles, credits upgrades for recent wins, and remains focused on chasing a fifth F1 world title.

Max Verstappen has stormed back in title contention. (AP Photo)

Resurgent Formula One champion Max Verstappen dismissed the notion that he had “lost interest" when Red Bull faced challenges earlier this season, insisting he had always strived hard for every point.

The Dutch driver was addressing comments made by Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko, a key figure in his career, during the Mexican Grand Prix on Thursday.

“Max at one stage when we were not competitive, I would say he lost a little bit of interest," the 82-year-old Austrian told Sky Sports television in Texas last weekend after Verstappen won both the sprint and main race from pole position.

Verstappen had fallen 104 points behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by the end of August but has since made a remarkable comeback with three wins in the last four races.

He is now just 40 points behind the Australian with five rounds remaining, putting him back in the running for a fifth consecutive title.

“Of course it’s more enjoyable coming to the race weekends like this than knowing that you don’t have a chance to win," the five-time Mexico winner told reporters.

“But I know for myself that when I sit in the car, I always try to maximise everything that I have. And I give it everything. So even if I’m fighting for fourth or even ninth, I will always try to get the best out of it."

Verstappen maintains a strong interest in sportscar racing, having competed and won in the GT3 category at the Nuerburgring last month.

Marko had suggested that allowing the driver to participate in such events was “to keep him in a good mood".

“Now that the car is working, and his success at the Nuerburgring, I would say two-tenths just came from him because he’s really motivated … you don’t hear him shouting, he’s smiling – that’s what you need," Marko added.

Verstappen explained that the Nuerburgring race had been planned well in advance and that he had been competing online during the season and on F1 weekends for years.

“There’s nothing really that has changed in terms of how professional I approach my race weekends," he said.

Verstappen attributed the improvement in the car’s performance to a “combination of a lot of things," including upgrades that enabled it to run in a different configuration.

“These cars are super-sensitive, right? So you’re sliding a bit less, the tyres also work a bit better and that gives you also better race pace.

“So it’s a lot of things that just came together that suddenly unlocked quite a bit more pace within the car. And that gives me more confidence and allowed us also to set up the car a little bit more aggressively."

Feroz Khan

Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital...Read More

Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital...

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News sports Max Verstappen Reacts After Helmut Marko's 'Lost Interest' Claim: 'Of Course It's...'

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