The paddock of Zandvoort is usually full of serious people doing serious talking. With microphones extended and lenses racked to the stops, this is where headlines are made and quotes collected. But on the Friday ahead of the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix, as Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko spoke with Motorsport.com’s Ronald Vording and a small huddle of reporters, one fan ambled over to grab a photo with the figure.
Marko kept his eyes front and answers flowing as he was questioned on Max Verstappen’s underwhelming beginning to the weekend.
“I think the McLaren are untouchable,” he said, focusing on the microphones in front of him. “Aston Martin, surprisingly fast. So I think it’s a fight behind for P3 between Aston Martin, Mercedes and us.”
Verstappen finished fifth on the timing sheets for FP2, with team-mate Yuki Tsunoda seventh, split by Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.
“The balance,” Marko continued when asked what was wrong with the car today. “The harder the compound, the better we are. And for the race for sure it’s a medium-hard race with one stop. So our hopes are in this direction.”
The fan stood listening, Heineken still in hand, as Marko complimented Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso on his impressive P2 finish. McLaren is still fastest, however: “Three, four tenths,” said Marko before the fan piped up once again.
“What is your expectation for the weekend?” he asked, surprising the journalists huddled around the Red Bull stalwart. This was once again ignored as Marko did his best to focus on the questions from those with a media pass.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Helmut Marko, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
“Yes. It’s still this understeer problem,” he continued on Red Bull’s issues. “Which switches to oversteer. So, to get the right balance is something we are struggling the whole season.”
Taking interest in the journalists standing next to him, the fan went on to remove his phone from his pocket and started recording audio – thumb posed for the next sound bite. While there was no one to receive his recordings, he certainly looked the part.
Vording wrapped the interview and normal service resumed as Marko finally posed for a photo with the beaming fan.
Somewhere, a Heineken marketing deck just wrote itself.
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