Helmut Marko feels the track limits rule that has cost Max Verstappen a bundle of points this season is “most consistently” applied against Red Bull.
Track limits are, rather unfortunately, one of the hot topics in this year’s championship.
Drivers and pundits alike are divided on whether Formula 1 should allow the drivers to race wherever they want, or if the onus is on the drivers to keep it within the lines.
What they do all agree on is that the rules should be the same across the board.
Marko feels they aren’t.
With Verstappen losing the win in Bahrain for exceeding the track limits as he overtook Lewis Hamilton for the lead, the Dutchman had to give the position back and from thereon wasn’t able to launch another attack.
Claiming to RTL that Verstappen kept to the track limits “most consistently” whereas the two Mercedes left the track “more than 20 times”, he feels his driver was unfairly treated in Bahrain.
However, fast forward to round three, the Portuguese Grand Prix, and Verstappen caused himself a “whole lot of hassle” as he ran wide in qualifying, to lose the time that would have put him on pole position, and then again in the race, this time losing the fastest lap point.
Marko, although not a fan of track limits says it is up to his driver to stick to the limits.
“If we are already in focus, then Max has to try to keep these limits – as absurd as they are in some situations,” he added.
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Verstappen was asked for his thoughts on track limits ahead of this weekend’s Spanish GP, telling the media that “we can make it a lot better by making sure there is a hard limit where you go off a kerb or whatever.”
He added: “From my side I think we should try and put a bit more gravel in place – but then sometimes that’s not what tracks want as with track days you have people go off and the gravel comes on track and they need to clean it and it costs money to put it back in place.
“But I think it is sometimes a bit confusing [looking] from the outside where some places you [can] run on the kerb, some places are policed on the white line.”
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