Red Bull feels the pressure

Marko demands: “Horner must show quality”

Helmut Marko (l.) and Christian Horner

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The "premier class" makes a guest appearance in Monza on Sunday. Red Bull Racing is feeling the pressure from its rivals, and the air is thick after Jos Verstappen's statements. Motorsport consultant Dr. Helmut Marko makes it clear: "We have to improve!"

"The best people are running away, the updates don't fit, Max had no chance of winning if you regress the car, the spirit has to change in the entire team!" In an explosive interview with the Bild newspaper after the Dutch Grand Prix (Lando Norris had embarrassed Max Verstappen with a lead of 22 seconds), Jos Verstappen reignited the "climate crisis" in the "bull stable" ...

One day before the start of practice on the high-speed circuit in Monza, Red Bull's Head of Motorsport Dr. Helmut Marko tried to calm things down a little in his typically diplomatic way. "Jos is Jos. He's just a very emotional guy, he made his statements without proper analysis. But you shouldn't overestimate that either," said the former Le Mans winner and emphasized: "We've had a few unfortunate results recently and were sometimes beaten below par. We had the wrong set-up at Zandvoort, but it is clear that we are clearly feeling the pressure, have to improve and the updates have to have an effect."

Jos Verstappen (r.) tangled with the bulls.

(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

"The wrong turn"
Red Bull Racing, which clearly set the tone at the start of the season, has been winless for five races and is sailing in extremely stormy seas. The captain is in demand. "Team boss Horner has to show quality. Talking ourselves up won't help us in this situation. But: even Horner now admits mistakes. We took a wrong turn somewhere in terms of the car's balance. But we're not the only ones, it's also happened to Ferrari and Mercedes. Only McLaren was spared. Every upgrade worked," summarizes Dr. Marko. "We are self-critical, but we have a lot of good people who can turn things around."

At the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, where the Austrian anthem has already been played for Niki Lauda (1978 and 1984) and Gerhard Berger (1988), the red-white-red racing team is hoping for an improvement in performance. "I think it will be very close between McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes. And one thing is certain: we won't be beaten as easily as we were last time out in Holland," says Dr. Marko.

"Hard work ahead of us"
Max Verstappen, who still leads the drivers' championship by 70 points from Norris, is also combative. "The team has worked hard to find the best set-up and balance for this old-school track. Of course, we have a lot of hard work ahead of us," said the three-time world champion.

As far as the constructors' championship is concerned (Red Bull is 30 points ahead of McLaren), the 'bulls' have taken heart from Sergio Pérez's performance in Zandvoort. "If Checo continues like this, we still have our eyes on this title," says Dr. Marko.

Dr. Helmut Marko

(Bild: AFP/GETTY IMAGES/CLIVE ROSE)

The first favorite in Monza alongside Norris ("We are ready") is likely to be Ferrari. "But," winks Dr. Marko, "a major update also harbours dangers" ...