Marko: Being second to 'unbelievable' Verstappen 'like a win'

Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko believes that Max Verstappen remains unrivalled in Formula 1 and beyond compare thanks to his "unbelievable capacities".

Verstappen sailed to his 45th career win in F1 last weekend at Spa, a result that also marked his tenth win of the season and his eighth victory in succession.

The Dutchman now holds a massive 125-point lead in F1's Drivers' standings over his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.

Assessing the Mexican driver's performance in the Belgian Grand Prix and his 22-second deficit to Verstappen at the checkered flag, Marko equated the result to a win for Perez given his teammate's exceptional supremacy.

And Marko believes that only two drivers on the grid are currently capable of getting near Red Bull's flying Dutchman, but not beating him.

• Read also: Red Bull will investigate Perez's gap to Verstappen in Belgian GP

"Being second behind Max is like a win," said the Austrian on this week's F1 Nation podcast.

"There won’t be any other driver who could stay with him on one level. Maybe Alonso and Hamilton would be nearer, but nobody could beat him at the moment.

"I know how good Max is [and] that has to be considered. He’s nursing the tyres and he’s still going fast.

"He can read the race and he’s so far ahead [with] what he’s doing he’s already past. It’s unbelievable capacity in his head."

But Marko also acknowledged the flawless execution at all levels of Red Bull Racing, the perfect complement to Verstappen's outstanding skills and talent.

"It’s so unbelievable, the performance of the whole team, pit stops, strategy, the drivers," he said. "And we do some entertainment [with] the conversations between Max and [his engineer over the radio]."

If it was up to Marko, there would be no summer break as he would love to see the team's extraordinary momentum unfold uninterrupted.

"I would like to keep it going, but for the people who are really hard working, like the mechanics, they need to recover," he conceded.

Red Bull's one hundred percent win record this season now sees the team with over double the points - 503 - in F1's Constructors' standings than its nearest rival, Mercedes which has so far scored 247 points.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, speaking after last Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix admitted that he wasn't expecting the sheer magnitude of his outfit's domination this season, adding that Verstappen's hegemony is a "once in a generation" phenomenon.

"I think it’s beyond everybody’s wildest imagination to be sitting in this position now," the Briton said. "It’s levels of superiority over everybody at the moment.

"I think that generally it’s been outstanding and what we’re witnessing with Max at the moment is something that you see once in a generation."

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