Lewis Hamilton warned Max Verstappen will keep getting better after F1 title win

Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko believes ‘we haven’t seen the climax of Max Verstappen’

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has warned Lewis Hamilton that Max Verstappen will continue to improve after clinching his maiden world championship in dramatic fashion at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Verstappen overtook Hamilton on the final lap after a hugely controversial decision by FIA race director Michael Masi, with Mercedes still considering appealing against the result.

But as the fallout continues, Marko, who is also the head of Red Bull’s driver development programme, insisted Mercedes should be fearful of how much better Verstappen can become.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live , he said: “He is a driver who I’m sure is not at the end of his abilities. We saw his qualifying performance at the last two races, in Jeddah and Abu Dhabi. He did qualifying laps that were so much more than the car could deliver.

“That’s why we believe we haven’t seen the climax of Max Verstappen. The more he wins, the more relaxed he gets.”

Marko first became aware of Verstappen’s potential when the Dutch driver was 15 and competing in Formula Three.

“He was so much better than anybody else,” Marko added.

“It was wet and dry conditions and after this race, which he won by miles, I had a discussion with him for nearly two hours… His determination or his will to win - he knew what he wanted to do.

“We were talking about the future and so on and after two or three weeks we said, ‘Forget all the other junior activities, we go straight into Formula 1.’”