F1 United States GP - Helmut Marko ready to give Charles Leclerc a “gift”: here’s why

F1 United States GP – Helmut Marko ready to give Charles Leclerc a “gift”: here’s why. Helmut Marko praised Charles Leclerc’s role in Max Verstappen’s victory at the 2025 Austin GP.

Max Verstappen (Red Bull RB21), 2025 F1 race start

Helmut Marko, speaking after the race, highlighted the crucial role played by Charles Leclerc in Max Verstappen’s victory at the 2025 United States Grand Prix in Austin. The Dutch driver achieved an extraordinary win, finishing ahead of Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc. With his success in both Saturday’s Sprint race and the main Grand Prix, Verstappen significantly reduced his gap to the championship leader, Oscar Piastri. What had long seemed a battle reserved for the Papaya team now appears to be wide open again. According to Helmut Marko, Charles Leclerc also played a very important role in Max Verstappen’s triumph in Texas. For much of the Austin GP, Charles Leclerc defended the second position he had secured at the start, holding off Lando Norris. The Monegasque driver ran a defensive race but, a few laps from the end, he had to yield to Norris. By that point, however, Max Verstappen had already pulled away to a lead of more than six seconds.Speaking to GP Blog, Helmut Marko jokingly remarked, “I should probably send him some boxes of Red Bull, I guess, but it was helpful because we were not under immediate pressure. We had the pace even if Lando [Norris] had been right behind us.”

Helmut Marko also emphasized that track-specific advantages are no longer a factor: “No, because now there are no more McLaren or Mercedes tracks. We are talking about tenths or hundredths of a second differences in the corners. And then we all know there is a gap, and it is significant.”

The fight for the championship is now fully reopened, which has also alerted the McLaren team. Until a few races ago, the Papaya team could have felt confident about winning both titles, as Max Verstappen was 104 points behind the leader. Currently, however, the gap has narrowed to just 40 points with five races and two Sprint events still remaining. For Andrea Stella, team principal of the Papaya squad, Red Bull currently has the best car. On this point, however, Helmut Marko disagreed, stating, “No, I don’t agree. We have the fastest driver.”