When Max Verstappen crossed the Abu Dhabi finish line in first position, the celebrations on the Red Bull pit wall knew no bounds. After a season full of nerves, the team exploded with joy for a world title that moments before was practically lost.
Looking back, Red Bull claimed its first championship in 2010, when Sebastian Vettel also won in surprising fashion. Despite this, according to Helmut Marko , back then there was “nowhere near” the intensity of this year.
Eleven years ago, before the last race in Abu Dhabi, there were four drivers who could still be world champions, including the two Red Bull drivers, Vettel and Mark Webber, along with Lewis Hamilton, then at McLaren, and Fernando Alonso. in Ferrari. The Spaniard was the favourite , as he went into the final round eight points ahead of Webber and 15 over Vettel, while Hamilton was 24 points behind with 25 at stake.
However, the Abu Dhabi race was totally disastrous for Alonso, the Spaniard getting stuck behind Vitaly Petrov’s Renault and finishing seventh, while Vettel took victory and was crowned champion for the first time, which was also the first title. from Red Bull.
“The emotions are different,” Marko said in an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com ‘s sister publication Formel1.de .
The Austrian stressed that the great rivalry and brutal battle that there has been this year did not exist then, a season in which Red Bull was finally able to break the years of Mercedes’ dominance, at least with the drivers’ title, since the builders left again for Brackley.
“We came into this race with a lot more tension and nervousness, because we knew it was all or nothing here in Abu Dhabi,” said Marko.
“And for this reason, this title is much tougher, also in terms of this season’s fight. It is the best sporting result that Red Bull has achieved so far in terms of satisfaction,” concluded veteran Helmut Marko .
