Marko saw third place for Verstappen still in danger in China

Max Verstappen finished third in the sprint race during the Chinese Grand Prix race weekend at the Shanghai International Circuit. Oscar Piastri overtook the Dutchman a few laps before the flag dropped, relegating the Red Bull driver to P3, a result Helmut Marko considers optimal.

To ServusTV, Marko was asked about Verstappen's performance and its subsequent result. Red Bull added six points to its total thanks to the Dutchman's third place. "Max got the maximum out of it. Verstappen looked after the tyres at the beginning, but about five to six laps before the end, the front tyres had completely gone off."

It could have ended differently, Marko believes. "Our luck was that [Geroge] Russell fought with [Charles] Leclerc, otherwise even the third place could have been in danger," Marko told the Austrian medium.

Qualifying for Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix starts at 07:00 UK time, which you can also follow at GPblog, where you can stay up to date with the latest Formula 1 news.