Las Vegas GP is ’not that great’ - Marko

Dr Helmut Marko says the Las Vegas GP is "not that great".

If Max Verstappen can simply maintain his points gap over Lando Norris this weekend, he will secure his fourth consecutive drivers’ world championship with two grands prix to spare.

"Things are actually not looking too bad for us," Red Bull team advisor Marko told Osterreich newspaper. "Our car was fast in the dry in Brazil, although Max was in a class of his own in the rain.

"If we win the title again this year, it will be mainly down to Max. With his exceptional driving skills, he has covered up the phases in which the car was really not good."

When asked if Red Bull will have ’world champion t-shirts’ on standby just in case, the 81-year-old smiled: "Knowing him, Max’s manager will definitely have them in his luggage.

"I’d gladly accept the extra hustle and bustle in Las Vegas for that."

The new Las Vegas GP, uniquely promoted by Formula 1 itself, races down the iconic ’Strip’. But last year, some thought the event prioritised spectacle over sport, a loose drain cover raised issues about circuit safety, ticket prices were enormous, and local businesses lamented the disruption.

Marko agrees: "It’s not that great.

"This crazy city, the slot machines that you have to pass on your way through the hotel lobby, the race at night. Last year we were lucky that the race was great, but the event as a whole did not live up to the high expectations.

"The event also does not have much support from the local population," Marko said on Tuesday. "Because almost everything is cordoned off, you have to take long detours everywhere. Because of the bad flight connections, we also have to arrive a day earlier."

The 81-year-old admits that the longest F1 season in history this year, at 24 races, is starting to take its toll.

"You could say that," said Marko. "This triple-header at the end is particularly crazy.