Marko Expresses Concerns Over Verstappen's Title Chances After Abu Dhabi Practice
Helmut Marko, Red Bull's top advisor, voiced concerns over Max Verstappen's title prospects after Friday's practice sessions in Abu Dhabi. He believes Verstappen can no longer rely on luck, as McLaren's Lando Norris showed a clear pace advantage. Red Bull is struggling with understeer, particularly in sector three, and must find significant improvements to challenge for the championship on their own merit.
Helmut Marko fears that Max Verstappen cannot rely on luck again in the title fight with McLaren. The Austrian knows that Red Bull will have to find speed themselves to clinch the world title, but that certainly won’t be easy after a challenging Friday in Abu Dhabi.
Why it matters:
Red Bull’s championship hopes hinge on outperforming McLaren, but a clear deficit in pace, particularly against Lando Norris, has raised concerns within the team. After a string of fortunate breaks, Red Bull now faces the pressure to find genuine performance to secure the title on their own terms, emphasizing the critical importance of Saturday's qualifying and race strategy.
The Details:
- Pace Deficit: Verstappen ended Friday's second practice three-tenths behind Lando Norris, with Marko admitting Norris was faster in both short and long runs. "We’re clearly behind Lando," Marko stated to GPblog in the Abu Dhabi paddock.
- Understeer Issues: Red Bull is reportedly losing significant time in sector three due to understeer, a characteristic Verstappen dislikes. The Dutchman's immediate feedback highlighted this handling issue.
- Marko noted, "He came (on the radio) right away and said the car was suffering from understeer, and the car has always been bouncing a little."
- Not Alarming, But Uncomfortable: While Marko wouldn't call the three-tenths gap "alarming," he admitted it's "not a comfortable situation." The long-run performance showed a similar picture, with higher tire wear compared to Norris.
- Previous Fortunes: Red Bull has benefited from recent McLaren misfortunes, including disqualifications in Las Vegas and a strategic error in a subsequent race, allowing Verstappen to gain points and secure a win.
What's next:
Red Bull faces an uphill battle to close the gap to McLaren before Saturday's qualifying session. The team's ability to make significant setup improvements from Friday to Saturday will be crucial. "We still have another session, though, and hopefully we’ll head in the right direction with that," Marko remarked. If Red Bull can't find the necessary speed, they might need assistance from rivals like Ferrari and Mercedes to prevent McLaren from scoring maximum points. However, Marko emphasized, "You can’t count on mistakes three times in a row. We have to fight on our own strengths."