Marko Not Afraid Of Norris And McLaren, Reveals Red Bull Plans To Introduce Another Upgrade

Saturday, 11 May 2024 at 10:00

Helmut Marko revealed that Red Bull plans to introduce a new upgrade during the upcoming 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

McLaren with Lando Norris made a significant step forward after introducing a new upgrade and managed to surprise everyone at Miami International Autodrome, achieving their first win since the 2021 Italian Grand Prix and second win since the 2012 United States Grand Prix.

This Grand Prix in Miami was the first race in a long time where someone from another team beat Max Verstappen and Red Bull on pure race pace (not counting Australia, where the 26-year-old had to retire his car).

Although the triple World Champion would most probably not lose to Norris without a well-timed safety car, he could not keep up the pace with the 24-year-old after the race restart. Red Bull's advisor, Helmut Marko, who predicted Miami would be a tough race for his team, told OE24:

"Unfortunately, I was right. We were just too slow. The fact is that we were slower than McLaren."

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Although it doesn't change anything about the fact that Red Bull was slower than McLaren in Miami, the 81-year-old also confirmed Verstappen would have won the race had it not been for the safety car.

"Norris would have had a hard time closing the gap behind Max, and overtaking in Miami is very difficult."

The question that seems relevant at the moment is: Has McLaren caught up with Red Bull, and could the Papaya team become a threat to the team from Milton Keynes in the Championship?

Lando Norris stated that his team has a lot of work to do and is not quite at the same level yet. However, he also said he expects to see exciting battles between Red Bull, his team, and Ferrari for the rest of the season.

When asked whether Norris's team could become a threat to Red Bull in the battle for the Championship title, Marko suggested they were too far behind in terms of points.

Moreover, he asserted that the Austrian team isn't standing still with its development and is about to introduce a major upgrade during the upcoming Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola Circuit.

"No, I don't have any concerns. Norris is over 50 points behind. Besides, we're bringing an upgrade to Imola, from which I expect a lot. But Miami shows that we need to focus on the sport itself."