Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko admitted he “didn’t feel like playing poker” with Max Verstappen when agreeing his new deal.
The Dutchman was expected to be one of the biggest fish in the 2021 driver market but his future was quickly confirmed when a new three-year deal was announced on Tuesday until the end of 2023.
Explaining the eagerness for an early decision, Marko admits the main aim was to simply avoid any idea of Verstappen becoming a target for their main rival.
“It was difficult for us to guess what the exact story is between Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton,” he explained to Auto Motor und Sport.
“But it’s clear that Mercedes will be forced to act if Hamilton goes to Ferrari in 2021 and Max would have been the first driver they would have targeted.
“That was a very important step for us. Now we can look to the future with more confidence.”
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The price of securing the 22-year-old isn’t thought to be cheap, however, with a salary of $16m per year reported and Red Bull is known to have a big bonus scheme.
“The new contract wasn’t cheap,” Marko admitted. “But I didn’t feel like playing poker!”
Verstappen’s signature may also have a ripple effect of producing more clarity on Red Bull’s future, with engine supplier Honda only signed until the end of 2021.
“Honda received the message positively, Max is very important to the Japanese,” the Austrian stated. “They love his aggressive driving style and his openness.
“There will be talks with Honda soon, I’m just waiting for an appointment for when I have to fly to Japan.”
All of this may act to relieve some pressure that was on Red Bull to perform in 2020, sensing another poor year would lead to Verstappen’s departure.
But even with that possibility off the table, Marko still believes in their F1 title chances.
“If the others want to be even better, they’ll have to improve dramatically,” he said with some gusto.
“Max knows what’s going on at Honda. He’s already seen the new car and he values the continuity in the team. In the end, there was a common desire to continue from him and from us.”