Marko laughed at McLaren telling Norris to attack Verstappen

Max Verstappen didn’t just win the Las Vegas Grand Prix – he owned it. And according to Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko, the idea that Lando Norris could hunt him down was so far-fetched it was funny.

The moment McLaren got on the radio urging Norris to attack the race leader, Verstappen responded with a string of fastest laps that instantly killed the fantasy.

Verstappen had seized the lead at Turn 1 after forcing Norris to break deep into the corner and run wide, and from there he never truly looked threatened. George Russell briefly applied pressure early on, but the Red Bull ace brushed it aside before settling into his rhythm.

By the time the pit stops shook out, Verstappen still had control – but Norris started picking up pace in the second stint. After passing Russell, McLaren grew bold and sent the radio message heard on F1’s live feed: “We’re going to get Max.”

Attack Max? Good luck…

Verstappen was told what McLaren had said. His response was to attack the lap times instead of waiting to be attacked, while Marko reaction to the call was pure amusement.

“He was able to easily maintain the pace of those behind him and therefore save the tyres,” Marko told Sky Sports Germany. “We also stayed out longer than everyone else.

“Of course, we knew the condition of the competitors’ tyres and the funniest thing was the message that came from McLaren: ‘Attack Max, overtake him.’ And then he hammered in one fastest lap after another, just to make things clear.

“But he did it with such confidence and ease. We had no problems at all. Lando had some issues at the end, because he was two or three seconds slower. Unfortunately, there was no one there who could capitalise on that.

“But from the first lap... I wouldn’t say [Max] won the start. He won the first corner and practically forced Norris into the mistake.”

Marko later summed up the entire evening simply as “an unbelievable Max Verstappen show.”

Mekies: ‘It was masterclass from him, no question’

Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies backed Marko’s assessment, applauding Verstappen’s flawless response every time McLaren tried to dial up the pressure.

“I think he had probably even more pace than what we have seen in the car,” said Mekies.

“There was a couple of times in the second stint where we asked him to increase the pace when Lando was pushing, and every time it was necessary, he increased the pace.

“So I think all together it was masterclass from him, no question. On the race weekend, nobody had the proper preparations because the practice sessions were all disturbed by something or something else.

“To be that strong on Sunday, tyre degradation, execution, race pace, I think it's a big well done to Max for nailing it again.”

In the end, Verstappen won by a dominant 20.7 seconds – even after backing off late to save fuel.

So when McLaren suggested Norris might be able to “get Max,” pundits saw a challenge. Verstappen saw a joke. And Marko? He just laughed.

Read also: F1i Driver Ratings for the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix

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