F1 News: Verstappen rivals could be closer in Miami – Marko

(GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has warned that Red Bull could be facing a tougher challenge this weekend in Miami, where Max Verstappen will be gunning for his 3rd straight win

On the track so far in 2024, the energy drink company’s premier Formula 1 team continued and even extended its recent dominance with triple consecutive world champion Max Verstappen at the wheel.

“Five weekends, five different racetracks, five pole positions for Max Verstappen, four victories,” top Austrian team advisor Marko, who turned 81 at the weekend, told Speed Week.

“At this point we can reasonably say that we have a car that is fast on any type of track.”

Even better, Marko adds, is that Red Bull’s closest chasers – Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes – are “experiencing ups and downs” in their own performance.

“That pleases me,” he said, “because it means our lead increases if someone else is always finishing behind us. We were amazed in China when Lando Norris was the second force.”

However, Marko says Red Bull also has some worries.

“The tire wear in Melbourne was unusually high for us,” he said. “So we’re fast, yes, but the track surface and the circuit can make a difference.

“Where our opponents could get a little closer to us are Miami and Monaco, especially as they have gotten closer to us in qualifying. I can imagine that it won’t be easy to be in pole position there.

“But I do expect us to still be competitive in Miami, even if the conditions are completely different again – warm and humid. We’ll have to see how sensitive the tires are to changes in the conditions.

“We will fight for victory,” Marko added, “but which of our pursuers has the best day will play a big role and this will continue to vary depending on the track.”