Helmut Marko, advisor to Red Bull Racing, has made it clear that Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing are not too concerned after Lando Norris’ victory during the F1 Grand Prix of Miami.
Norris achieved his first victory last weekend in Miami, for which two other reasons were given in addition to Norris’s consistent driving. Firstly, the damage to Verstappen’s floor, damage that prevented him from keeping up with Norris’s pace after the safety car. Secondly, the safety car, which came at an ideal time for Norris. He was already driving in P1, because many drivers had already gone in for the safety car. Norris remained in P1 and was not overtaken afterwards. In fact, he pulled away by more than seven seconds to take his first win in F1.
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Marko saw McLaren being faster than Verstappen and Red Bull
In conversation with OE24 Marko speaks about the weekend in Miami. “I was unfortunately right that we were just too slow. Max believes that the damage was not that serious. The fact was that we were slower than McLaren. Max has a very good relationship with Norris. He often takes him on the plane and they also regularly meet up to play sim racing. Regarding partying, Max seems to be able to learn something from Norris. But now it is feared that Lando will become even more dangerous for him on the track, because the pressure is now gone.”
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Red Bull not afraid of McLaren and Norris as Verstappen’s competitor
Many people want to go even further and suggest that this is the moment when Norris and McLaren will definitively challenge Red Bull and Verstappen. However, Marko is a lot less concerned about that. “No, I’m not worried about that. Norris is more than fifty points behind. Moreover, we are bringing an upgrade in Imola that I expect a lot from. But Miami showed that we have to concentrate on the sporting side.”
