Max Verstappen was not present at Red Bull’s post-qualifying team debrief in Jeddah, Dr. Helmut Marko has revealed.
The Dutchman was forced to limp back to the pit due to a driveshaft issue in Q2, eliminating him from contention before he could record a decent lap time.
Verstappen, who was forced to start the Grand Prix from 15th on the grid, was visibly displeased as he exited the car. Throughout the race weekend, the Dutchman did not hold back in venting his anger with Red Bull’s reliability.
Verstappen is said to have skipped the team debrief following qualifying, but Marko has now given an explanation for why the Dutch driver didn’t attend.
Marko said that Verstappen’s absence from the post-qualifying team debrief didn’t disturb him in an interview with German news outlet oe24.
“Max had just gotten over a bad flu,” Marko explained. “Did you see what he looked like when he got out?”
Verstappen’s frustration with Red Bull’s inconsistent performance was understood by the Austrian.
“It really didn’t go well for him… He wanted to go to bed as soon as possible.”
Verstappen quickly moved up the order on Sunday and finished in second place. He also set the best lap in the penultimate lap of the race to maintain his lead in the drivers’ championship standings.
