Breaking: "All Hell Broke Loose”: Marko Opens Up on Verstappen’s....read more

“All Hell Broke Loose”: Marko Opens Up on Verstappen’s….read more

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has opened up about the chaos that unfolded during the Spanish Grand Prix, pinpointing a controversial moment involving Max Verstappen that spiraled into what he called a full-blown meltdown.

The drama began late in the race when a Safety Car was deployed after Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes broke down. Running in third at the time, Red Bull made a strategic gamble by calling Verstappen into the pits for fresh tyres. But instead of the expected soft or medium compounds, they opted to fit his car with the hard compound — a move that immediately angered Verstappen.

With the restart looming, Verstappen rejoined the track in front of Charles Leclerc and George Russell, both of whom were on the grippier soft tyres. As the Safety Car pulled in, the race ignited with immediate action. Leclerc lunged at Verstappen, and the two briefly made contact in a fierce wheel-to-wheel scrap. Meanwhile, Russell attempted to seize the moment and challenge Verstappen as well.

Amid the chaos, Verstappen took to the escape road to maintain track position, emerging in fourth. However, Red Bull soon instructed him to hand the place back to Russell, a call that further inflamed Verstappen’s frustrations. The Dutch driver, already furious with the tyre strategy, now had to concede a place he believed he had rightfully defended.

Helmut Marko, speaking after the race, confessed he remains unsure whether Verstappen’s aggressive maneuvering was a simple “misjudgment” or the result of an emotional reaction under pressure. “It was hard to say whether it was a calculated move or just a loss of composure,” Marko admitted. “All hell broke loose from there.”

The Red Bull veteran implied that Verstappen’s mood shifted dramatically after the tyre decision, which may have contributed to his uncharacteristically erratic behaviour. Marko also suggested that Verstappen, known for his fierce competitiveness, struggled to control his temper in a high-stakes situation that didn’t go his way.

“He didn’t agree with the hard tyres, and the fact that others were on softs just made things worse,” Marko said. “That set the tone for what followed — the contact with Leclerc, the move on Russell, and the decision from the team that frustrated him even more.”

While Verstappen managed to finish the race, the events of the Spanish GP have sparked discussions about communication and strategy within the Red Bull camp. The incident serves as a reminder that even the most dominant drivers can be thrown off their rhythm when emotions take over — especially in the white-hot pressure cooker of Formula 1.