Helmut Marko Is Down €500 After Placing A Bet Against Verstappen

Posted on November 25, 2023 | by Charley Williams We may be racing in Abu Dhabi, where gambling is banned, but it seems bets are still being placed in the Formula 1 paddock. Clearly, a weekend in Las Vegas wasn’t enough for Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, who had money riding on Max Verstappen in qualifying!  As Max crossed the line to secure yet another pole position this season in Abu Dhabi, Red Bull team boss Horner was heard on the radio telling him: “Well done mate, you’ve just won me €500 from Helmut, which is like getting blood out of a stone. So, yeah, fantastic job!” According to reports on X, Marko is reported to have said that the €500 bet was that Christian believed Max would get on the front row, while Helmut thought he would only manage a second-row start at best. Fortunately for everyone, the money will go to the bar the mechanics are visiting tomorrow evening. Win-win for all, then! ???? The bet highlights the little faith that Marko had in the car and Max following his struggles earlier this weekend. Verstappen finished FP2 in P3 and FP3 in P6, and had complained about the car bottoming and jumping throughout both sessions – and despite diving in and out of the pits to make slight set-up changes, they just couldn’t get it right. But it was obviously just a false alarm, as Verstappen went on to secure one final 2023 F1 pole position ahead of tomorrow’s race at the Yas Marina circuit. In