Red Bull Insider Fires Warning Shots At McLaren - 'We Are Competing Again'

Saajan Jogia | Oct 20, 2024

Oct 19, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Oracle Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen (1) of Team Netherlands leads McLaren Formula 1 Team driver Lando Norris (4) of Team Great Britain during the Sprint Race in the 2024 Formula One US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko has warned McLaren that his team is back to "competing again" for the top positions, "starting from the front row" in the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin.

McLaren has enjoyed a dominant run in the 2024 season, particularly since Red Bull's momentum shifted after Max Verstappen's last victory at the Spanish Grand Prix. Since then, Red Bull has struggled with balance issues on its RB20, while McLaren has capitalized, securing five Grand Prix wins.

During Verstappen's home race at the Dutch Grand Prix, Lando Norris crossed the finish line ahead of Verstappen with a margin of over twenty seconds. Soon though, McLaren went on to overtake Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and the Woking outfit's focus now remains to help Norris secure his first championship victory. The British driver trails championship leader Verstappen by just 52 points before the USGP.

However, the Milton Keynes outfit seems to have worked out the root cause of the balance problems on its F1 car over the three-week autumn break, which was evident in the USGP sprint race where Verstappen secured the victory while Norris struggled for grip as his medium compound Pirellis struggled for traction. In the process, the McLaren driver lost the second spot to Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, while being under further threat from Charles Leclerc. Eventually, Norris managed to defend his position and secured the third place.

Marko told Sky DE that while Norris took pole position for the USGP, Red Bull is back in the fight on the front row. The 81-year-old advisor also acknowledged Ferrari's impressive pace in both the sprint and qualifying, adding that predicting the race outcome would be challenging. As reported by Racingnews365, he said:

"Max had a tenth lead until the second sector.

"There he had a bad exit at Turn 19, although the third sector was our strong point. 

"A lot was possible. We are competing again, I would say. We're on the front row. It's hard to say how the race will go. 

"The temperatures will be higher, so tyre wear is a factor. And I also think Ferrari will be very strong, just like in the sprint race."

Marko highlighted that McLaren had introduced several upgrades for the USGP weekend but emphasized Verstappen will be strong. He added:

"I think McLaren has changed the car.

"In the sprint race, Lando's front tyres went out. 

"Maybe that was also because he tried to attack Max, but they learned from it. Both cars were significantly better than in the sprint race. However, I think Max will definitely be strong."