Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has waxed lyrical about Max Verstappen’s 2021 world title win over Lewis Hamilton and provided a shred of advice for the defeated Brit. Hamilton finally re-appeared on Monday after a lengthy social media hiatus, fuelling the belief that he will return to partner George Russell with Mercedes in 2022.
Hamilton was left ‘disillusioned’ with F1 after losing out on his eighth drivers’ title in controversial circumstances at Yas Marina.
FIA race director Michael Masi has come under heavy fire since his contentious decision to effectively wipe out the 37-year-old’s lead behind the safety car with one lap to go.
Masi’s future remains up in the air, and so has Hamilton’s for the past few weeks as fans were left to wonder whether his prolonged silence was a sign of his potential retirement.
Although not yet confirmed, his appearance on a promotional video posted to Chinese social media platform Weibo, alongside Russell, makes a comeback seem more likely.
READ MORE: George Russell’s thoughts on Lewis Hamilton retirement explained by Williams boss
If that turns out to be the case, the Silver Arrows’ star man will undoubtedly be keen to topple Verstappen after their hard-fought battle in 2021.
Marko has lauded the Dutchman, however, claiming that he took his Red Bull car beyond its limits, and pointing out what Hamilton must avoid in the contests to come.
“You could see that he drove the car so over the limit, that was visible,” he told Austrian magazine Autorevue.
“And in the races, Hamilton should already know that you can’t leave the smallest gap open at Verstappen.
“He’s already stabbing you before the other person sees him in the rear-view mirror.
“This incredible willpower with the necessary talent makes all the difference.”
The high praise did not stop there from Marko, as he found similarities between Verstappen and all-time greats of the sport, Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna.
While the 24-year-old only has one world title to his name thus far, which pales in comparison to the 10 shared between Schumacher and Senna, his career may only just be getting started.
“What they all have is a complete focus,” added Marko.
“You could also call it ruthlessness.
“There is nothing else but, ‘I want to win and I’ll do anything for it’.
“And they grow beyond possibilities that don’t normally exist. That reminds me of Max’s qualifying lap in Jeddah.”