Red Bull Racing dethroned Mercedes to become the ultimate F1 champions back in 2022. The sole reason behind the reset of the pecking order was a overhaul of ground effect regulations. RB managed to be the only team to crack it and establish a new era of dominance.
Over the time, Red Bull became stronger than ever as budget cap rule restricted rivals from aggressive upgradation. However, with three years into the regulation change, rivals like McLaren and Ferrari have finally succeeded in closing the gap to some extent. And Helmut Marko believes it’s a result of elite copying techniques.
Helmut Marko Claims McLaren Copied Red Bull’s Aerodynamics Concept
The 2024 F1 season humbled Red Bull Racing as their unwavering dominance in the sport seems under threat. After attaining a 99% win record in 2023, RB has lost three of the first 8 races already. McLaren’s Lando Norris and both Ferrari drivers have earned a win each, leaving the drink-based outfit to question RB20’s performance ability. McLaren, in particular, stunned the team the most as, with the help of a single upgrade, Norris was able to keep Max Verstappen at bay in Miami. It was the first time Max lost a race without facing a DNF, as he finished 0.7 seconds slower than Norris. In the following races, McLaren went on to retaining the performance gain, which made many wonder if the resurgence could dethrone the Bulls from the top this year.
However, Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko has thrown shade at McLaren in his recent interview with Oe24. He said that three years into the regulation change, the field was bound to close. Marko insisted that some people are better at copying things and openly accused McLaren of copying RB20’s concepts. “Some copy better, and you can now see the result at McLaren,” Marko said. However, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella suggested otherwise. Stella argued their resurgence is a result of an accurate correlation between simulator data and on-track performance. The correlation helped them improve faster and better. However, despite notable lap time gains, Stella feels McLaren will need two big steps of this size to catch up and regularly compete with Red Bull. “We have delivered only one [so far]. We look forward to the next one,” Stella said.
Max Verstappen Wants To Finish His F1 Career At Red Bull
In the latest interview with the Guardian, Max Verstappen revealed that he is a loyal person and that finishing his F1 career at Red Bull would be incredible. Amid rumors of a switch to Mercedes after an internal power struggle in Milton Keynes, Max said that loyalty is extremely important to him.
Max Verstappen added that all he ever asked from Red Bull was for loyalty to be reciprocated, and the team so far has delivered. And to spend his entire career with one team would be incredible as Max eyes a long-term stay at Red Bull. His current contract will expire in 2028, and Verstappen is yet to take a call on his future in the sport.
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