The Red Bull team had an emphatic start to the season. Max Verstappen won five out of seven races in the beginning. The team was all set to update its trophy cabinet with two World Titles. However, it abruptly went down when RBR chief Christian Horner was embroiled in a sexual misconduct case. Further, the team faced an internal war, hampering its on-track domination. To make matters worse, the core team started leaving the setup, and names like Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley, and Will Courtenay joined hands with rivals.
On the other side, McLaren started its campaign from the trough. No one expected it to be in contention for the world title. Now, with six rounds to go, the Woking squad has bewildered everyone, including RBR. Since the Spanish GP, the team has been on a remarkable upsurge, winning four races and four podiums. McLaren now seems to have an upper hand in the race for World Championship titles. In response, the vulnerable Austrian outfit is left contemplating and rethinking its approach to stop the momentous rivals.
McLaren’s Meteoric Rise Piles Pressure On Red Bull And Max Verstappen
Helmut Marko, the senior Red Bull advisor, has warned his team about Mclaren’s resurgence. He recently revealed a long discussion with Max Verstappen about Red Bull’s misery. During an interaction with the German website Formel1.de, Marko described Verstappen’s thought process amid a stretched slump. The senior strategist feels Norris’s performance appears “alien” as he took nine-tenths to one second per lap from the Bulls. The Austrian executive was baffled by such a performance, as even an optimized RB20 couldn’t have matched those timings. He also discussed the Ferrari’s recent upturn, as Charles Leclerc almost matched Norris in the second stint.
Therefore, Marko views the second-place finish in Singapore as a victory, considering the pace of the chasing teams. Lando Norris finished 29 seconds ahead of the Dutchman, shedding light on the drastic difference between the two cars. However, this success is a result of persistent hard work by McLaren. The team installed an ambitious floor package in Miami and kept adding subtle components thereafter. The secret to its sudden surge is that every development was aligned with the MCL38’s setup, not hindering its balance.
On the other hand, the floor introduced by RBR in Azerbaijan was not enough to trouble the Woking squad. However, Marko remains optimistic, showing confidence in his team’s efforts. He believes the upcoming Austin upgrade could match McLaren’s pace. It could be the season-defining moment for the Bulls because Mclaren would take both trophies home if this fails.
The 2024 World Title Race Set For An Exciting And Unpredictable Climax
Although the team is not giving up, Marko believes the current performance might shatter the World Title dream. He hopes for some magical performance from Max Verstappen and expects a third—or fourth-place finish from Sergio Perez. This is the only way to defend both titles, as McLaren looks unstoppable. Regardless of the outcomes, the excitement and unpredictability would only intensify as teh front runners gear up for the final bouts of the season.