McLaren on alert after Helmut Marko drops new Red Bull US GP prediction

Second in Singapore but over 20 seconds down on Lando Norris, Helmut Marko is “optimistic” Red Bull will be stronger in Austin where they’ll debut their final big upgrade package for F1 2024.

The F1 2024 championship has been a tale of two halves for Red Bull with Max Verstappen dominating the first part of the season but losing ground in the second.

Helmut Marko warns of a ‘stronger’ Red Bull RB20 in Austin

A misstep with Red Bull’s Hungarian Grand Prix updates put the team on the back foot and forced them to run patchwork floor experiments before finally taking a step forward with the revised Baku floor.

It was by no means a eureka moment, just a step towards recovery, with the team’s winless streak up to eight races stretching back to June’s Austrian Grand Prix.

In the time since his last victory, Verstappen has managed just three podiums while Sergio Perez’s run outside of the top three extends back to Miami.

Red Bull’s troubles combined with McLaren’s surge not only saw Norris record his biggest winning margin ever in Singapore where he was 21s up on Verstappen, but McLaren have also raced out to a 41-point lead in the Constructors’ Championship . Norris has also eaten into Verstappen’s advantage in the Drivers’ in every one of the last four races, bringing that down to just 52 points.

Marko is adamant all is not lost as he expects Red Bull’s Austin GP updates with be another step in their recovery, and if Verstappen gets it right, he’s banking on Perez to follow suit.

“In Singapore, Lando Norris showed strong speed and reduced his deficit to Max Verstappen to 52 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, McLaren has extended its lead over Red Bull Racing to 41 points,” he told Speedweek .

“We need to improve significantly to turn things around and I am optimistic that we will be stronger again in Austin.

“As soon as Max starts winning races again, Sergio Perez usually steps up and then the whole situation looks completely different.

“But to do that, we need a wider working window for the car, which can’t just function in a very narrow area. And we need the necessary speed. So those are two factors and I trust our technicians to achieve that.

“Performance has to be demonstrated on the track, not just in the simulation. In the past, the lack of alignment between simulation and reality was one of the reasons why we were led in the wrong direction.”

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Red Bull are set to introduce an upgraded package at Austin, the team’s final throw of the dice in the development as they beat McLaren to both championship titles.

The revised package, which includes a new floor, is expected to address the RB20’s mechanical and aerodynamic performances.

“I think for all teams, Austin will be a natural time of the year to bring some news. We have something important, but I think Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren will also have updates,” said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.

“The whole team worked hard to understand the problems and solve them and, if everything goes well, to remedy the situation already from Austin.”

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