Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has admitted that McLaren’s recent dominance in Formula 1 has marked a “whole new world” that has been “alien” to Max Verstappen.
Lando Norris controlled proceedings at the previous round in Singapore as he converted pole position into a considerable 21-second winning margin over Verstappen.
McLaren has emerged as the benchmark side this season and three victories in four races since the summer break has seen it displace Red Bull in the championship.
The Woking-based squad’s rise has coincided with Red Bull’s enduring a sharp decline which has seen Verstappen be winless in eight races, his worst run since 2020.
Marko revealed that McLaren’s huge advantage over Red Bull was discussed during a “long conversation” with Verstappen, who holds a 52-point lead, on a phone call.
“Well, that Lando’s dominance is alien, especially on Medium tyres – he took nine-tenths to one second per lap from us,” Marko told Formel1.de.
“Even if our car had been, let’s say, optimised, he couldn’t have driven those times on the Medium. And we’re all wondering how he did it.
“When Norris takes nine-tenths to one second per lap from us, then it’s a whole new world.
“And don’t forget, in the second stint, [Charles] Leclerc was just as fast as Lando or almost a bit faster.
“So for us, I would almost say that second place was like a victory.”
Red Bull now ‘on the right track’
Red Bull’s struggles reached a “low point” at Monza as Verstappen described his RB20 as being a “monster” as he bemoaned experiencing problems with the balance.
Marko concurred with that assessment as he stressed that Red Bull must prioritise returning the car to the operating window which brings out the best in Verstappen.
“It was the worst race since… I don’t know, I can’t remember when we got it so wrong in terms of strategy, pitstop, speed, everything,” Marko acknowledged.
“But we are now on the right track.
“The car needs to have a wider operating window – not one where relatively small changes, or temperature differences of six or seven degrees, can affect performance.
“Then more speed and also more bandwidth so that Max can attack. We know that he needs a car with front-end bite.”
Austin will be ‘deciding factor’ in F1 title battle
Red Bull introduced a “subtle” upgrade to Baku last month which inspired the slight uptick which allowed Verstappen to log an unexpected second place in Singapore.
But while he has acknowledged that the revised floor helped to ease Red Bull’s rut, Marko has insisted that the upcoming updates will be crucial to catching McLaren.
“It is a step in the right direction, but it is not enough,” he highlighted.
“They have worked very, very hard and have gained certain insights. It wasn’t a completely new floor, but parts of it were new.
“But I think the deciding factor will be performance in Austin, and there are a lot of other things coming.”
Marko has claimed that “coming second is not good enough” in the remaining six races despite that being enough to guarantee that Verstappen bags the Drivers’ title.
Red Bull is not in control in the Constructors’ Championship, though, as McLaren’s double podium in Singapore has witnessed it open up a considerable 41-point lead.
The Austrian has conceded that it will be tough for the Austrian outfit to overcome that gap “with the performance we have”, but he countered that things can change.
“I’m optimistic that if Max wins races again and Sergio can then achieve third or fourth place, then things will look different again,” he pointed out.
“But the focus is primarily on the Drivers’ title for now.
“But if we achieve that – and I believe that’s only possible if Max wins at least two more races – then it will also look a bit more promising in the Constructors’ Championship.”
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