Verstappen defends Marko as he faces leak probe

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen launched a powerful defence of his mentor and Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko on Friday when confronted by reports that the Austrian may face a possible suspension in the aftermath of the Christian Horner saga. The three-time world champion insisted that Marko, 80, must keep his job when he spoke soon after taking pole position for Saturday's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The 26-year-old Dutchman, whose career has been overseen by Marko, was clear in outlining his feelings. "From my side, I have a lot of respect for Helmut, and what we have achieved together," said Verstappen. "It goes back very far. My loyalty to him is very big and I have always expressed this to everyone within the team, to everyone high up, that he is an important part in my decision-making for the future within the team. It is very important that he stays within the team, including of course everybody else, because it is a team effort and it is very important that we keep the key people together," he said.

Indian Maini grabs F2 pole

Meanwhile, Indian racer Kush Maini, who drives for Invicta Racing, on Saturday grabbed the pole position in the F2 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix here to become the first Indian to achieve the feat.

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