By James Broughton, June 5, 2025
We often refer to Red Bull’s Dr. Helmut Marko as “Mad Dog Marko” or simply “the mad dog.” In urban slang, mad dog is a derisive term used to describe someone who is literally wild and unhinged, physically or mentally. But for once—perhaps just this once—we’ll refer to the mad dog by his official title: Dr. Helmut Marko. Why? Because in a rare moment of clarity, he has actually made a critical and balanced assessment of his brilliant yet wayward superstar driver, Max Verstappen.
The latest controversy surrounding Verstappen—though surely not the last—unfolded during the Spanish Grand Prix. After a safety car restart, Verstappen clashed with George Russell on lap 61. Following an earlier on-track battle between the two, the team instructed Verstappen to give the position back to Russell.
Verstappen initially refused to comply. And when he eventually did, his anger remained. He slowed just enough to allow Russell ahead by a few inches, then immediately resumed full racing speed, colliding and effectively forcing Russell off the track.
He was lucky to avoid a black flag but was handed a 10-second time penalty, dropping him from 4th to 10th place. He later apologised to the team but even Red Bull couldn’t defend Verstappen’s actions; even the telemetry data was clear-cut, and damning.
In an interview with an Austrian TV station, Dr. Helmut Marko agreed with the stewards’ decision to issue the 10-second penalty.
“The situation with Russell [when the Briton attempted to pass into Turn 1 but went off the track]. And you have to say, Max knows the regulations in detail. He immediately said, ‘Hey, he was out of control, and that’s why I had to go wide.”
“The internal discussion was that it was 50-50. And since it happened right after the safety car period, the impact of a 10-second penalty is much greater than if it happens mid-race. So, that was one thing. Max didn’t want to give the position back. But he was instructed to do so – he did it under protest.”
“Max lifted off the throttle, so we all assumed he was letting Russell through. And then suddenly he accelerated again,” Marko recalled. “I don’t know what kind of misjudgment or thought process was going on inside him. And then, as they say, all hell broke loose.”
“It was unnecessary, and a lot of points lost. But, because of all the incidents and wrong decisions that unfortunately happened, emotions simply got the better of him.”