Red Bull motorsport advisor, Helmut Marko, lauded Daniel Ricciardo’s stellar comeback performance at the Hungarian Grand Prix, hailing it as a “perfect debut.”
Ricciardo, who returned to Formula 1 with AlphaTauri after being dropped by McLaren at the end of the previous season, immediately showcased his talent by out-qualifying his teammate Yuki Tsunoda and finishing a commendable 13th in the race.
Marko expressed his satisfaction with the decision to bring Ricciardo back, stating, “That was a perfect debut, Daniel would have been in the point range… He brings a positive vibe and energy.”
Red Bull’s dominant streak persisted with yet another triumph at the Hungarian Grand Prix, solidifying a new record for the most consecutive wins by an F1 team.
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However, Helmut Marko, acknowledging the competitive nature of the sport, conceded that the pursuing teams might be closing the gap if Red Bull encounters obstacles.
Max Verstappen’s remarkable performance was on full display, despite narrowly missing pole position to Lewis Hamilton by a mere 0.003 seconds in qualifying.
Undeterred, Verstappen delivered a stellar race, securing his seventh consecutive win with an astounding 33.7-second lead over Lando Norris of McLaren.
Reflecting on Verstappen’s commanding win, Marko praised the World Champion’s race trim, stating, “That’s true, we’re way ahead in race trim. Max actually could have driven even faster; he wasn’t at the limit by a long shot.”
However, a humorous incident occurred on the podium during the celebrations when Norris accidentally shattered the winners’ trophy with his trademark champagne celebration.
While Verstappen and Norris found the incident amusing in the post-race press conference, Marko expressed less enthusiasm, jokingly mentioning the Hungarian tradition of valuing valuable porcelain and noting that he will educate Verstappen to appreciate the original trophy once it is replaced.
“The Hungarians are famous for their love for valuable porcelain,” he stated.
“Even when we were there, there were beautiful bowls and vases.
“The copy of the trophy comes to us at the factory and I’ll teach Max to appreciate the original that he’s getting replaced.
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“That’s Hungarian tradition, the young people have to understand that first.”
Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, also had a noteworthy performance, securing a place on the podium by recovering from ninth on the grid to finish third.
Marko praised Perez’s progress, stating, “He’s already a lot better, fighting his way up from 9th place on the grid to 3rd place… An upward trend can be seen.”