Max Verstappen reacts to Helmut Marko comments: 'He is not in the car!'

Max Verstappen has maintained his stance that a fifth-consecutive F1 drivers' championship is unattainable this season, despite Helmut Marko's persistent hope. The 82-year-old still believes the Dutchman has a chance to match Michael Schumacher's record of five titles on the bounce, which he set with Ferrari between 2000 and 2004. However, it is a matter on which Verstappen does not see eye-to-eye with the Red Bull advisor. Following the sprint at Spa-Francorchamps, he trails championship leader Oscar Piastri by 68 and his team-mate Lando Norris by 59. To make matters worse, despite claiming victory in the one-third distance race, he will line up for the Belgian Grand Prix in fourth, with the two McLarens starting from the front row. The RB21 has proven difficult to tame, like its predecessor, and even though Verstappen has largely continued the strong form that allowed him to comfortably hold off Norris last term, the MCL39 has been too dominant for him to match consistently. Although there is a maximum of 324 points left on offer, the 27-year-old has insisted for numerous rounds that any faint glimmer of clinching the crown is now out of sight. So when Marko's feelings were again put to him, the Red Bull driver moved to shut the question down once and for all. "Helmut is not in the car!" Verstappen exclaimed to Dutch media, including RacingNews365 , to a chorus of laughter. Addressing the sentiment from the Austrian more seriously, the 65-time grand prix winner added: "I understand that you have to be positive about it. "On the other hand, I'm always very realistic about what I feel in the car, and then when I look at certain onboards of other cars, I know enough."