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“I Fu**ed up and Helmut was Angry” – Max Verstappen Reveals his Most Embarrassing F1 Moment

Published 05/23/2020, 6:05 AM EDT

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Recently, Max Verstappen and Formula E driver Antonio Felix da Costa held an Instagram live chat. The Dutchman spoke  on a variety of subjects and even opened up on his most embarrassing moment. He harkened back to the 2016 US Grand Prix while he was running 5th and closing in on the podium battle.

Apparently, he heard his engineer urging him to push harder, and he assumed that they were pitting. So, when he swerved to enter the pit lane, he realised that the team never called him in. At that moment he thought to himself, “Oh my God! What did I just do?”.

So, then he frantically told the team that he was pitting and the pit crew scrambled out completely unaware. The Dutchman continued, a little humiliated and hoped that the higher-ups would forget about it. Unfortunately for him, his engine died and Max Verstappen now had to face the wrath of Dr Helmut Marko.

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Poor Max Verstappen had no words

Naturally, a fuming Marko bore down on him and a sheepish Verstappen could simply say, “I f***ed up, I thought he called me in.”

Then, da Costa chipped in that when a driver does well, Helmut Marko is normally the first one to congratulate them. However, when they make a mistake, he is also the first one to berate them.

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Max Verstappen acknowledged that and admitted that Marko appreciates it when drivers are honest with him. According to the Dutch driver, Helmut Marko hates it when drivers make excuses for their poor performance.

For the moment, Verstappen is anxiously waiting for the 2020 season to finally begin. As per reports, the 2020 season could resume in Austria and there are talks of double headers as well. The COVID-19 crisis has serious taken its toll on every sporting event though they are gradually resuming.

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Written by:

Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
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