Well, this time he was right, nothing to say. Helmut Marko, after qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, appeared very confident. Pompous, puffy chest and confident voice, he had implied that Red Bull would dominate far and wide at Suzuka. Said and done. Indeed, it didn't take much to predict something like this.
Alongside his Saturday reflections he had also thrown digs at Charles Leclerc calling him not up to Carlos Sainz. The Madrilenian finished ahead of the Monegasque, but the latter was certainly the protagonist of a great match that earned him the honorary title of MVP.
A small and indirect revenge for Charles who intends to start again from the comeback that from eighth place brought him to the foot of the podium with a masterclasses tire management.
![Charles Leclerc - Scuderia Ferrari, Japanese GP 2024](https://www.formulacritica.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Charles-Leclerc-Scuderia-Ferrari-Gp-Giappone-2024-750x375.webp)
But Marko doesn't care about these details and continues on his own path. This time the brave Helmut plays the role of the psychologist. Evidently he's tired of being a virologist (you remember the idea of the Covid party, right?) and wants to try a new scientific discipline. Red Bull, according to the former driver, not only won by a landslide, but also gave a psychological blow to Ferrari which in AustraLia had raised her head a little too much.
“We dominated from the first lap. The pit stops were incredibly perfect, I think three stops were completed in just two seconds. In terms of strategies we were always in control, including Sergio who drove with confidence and achieved second place”.
“We are very satisfied. And do we want to talk about Max's fastest lap on old tires? It's psychologically challenging on his part, he wanted to see what could be done”, a new Freud commented to Sky Deutschland.
![Helmut Marko - Oracle Red Bull Racing](https://www.formulacritica.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Helmut-Marko-Oracle-Red-Bull-Racing-750x375.webp)
The 2024 Formula One championship will also be played on these mental details. On the other hand, if we really want to be honest, Frédéric Vasseur started to make it psychological by continuously talking about pressure, about the need to lead the world champion team into errors.
This concept was re-emerged after the one-two in Melbourne which saw Verstappen's retirement which Fred considered to have been forced by the consistency of the SF-24.
Marko's underlining therefore appears more legitimate and less provocative when illuminated in this way. Also because, upon closer inspection, seeing Max set a fast lap with decidedly used tires scares Ferrari a bit and, more generally, Formula One which risks another monologue.
Cover image: Formulacritica
Photo credits: Oracle Red Bull Racing