F1 News: Second places 'not enough' for Verstappen title

(GMM) A new wind tunnel should help Red Bull return to full competitiveness in the future, according to Dr Helmut Marko, but the car must improve now if Max Verstappen is to win his 4th straight F1 driving title.

Amid the scandals of early 2024, preceding a loss of dominance and several top staff and raging speculation about the future, Max Verstappen’s father Jos says he “warned about” the situation from the start if Christian Horner hung onto his job.

Marko, though, insists it is only “natural” that Red Bull has struggled to hang onto top team members who are being offered higher positions and more money by rivals.

“It is a natural development when you are as successful as we were, that people are poached,” he told formel1.de. “And of course there is always only one person who can hold these top positions.”

The latest departure is strategy boss Will Courtenay, who will become McLaren’s new sporting director, but Marko insists he can easily be replaced.

“In this case that is Hannah Schmitz,” the 81-year-old Austrian declared.

“What we offered him (Courtenay), he was not that interested. He received an offer that is more attractive in terms of position and also financially.”

Marko also called on those remaining at Red Bull to pull together and maintain a clear focus on defending Verstappen’s lead in the drivers’ standings.

“It’s clear. We have to work together to win this championship,” he said.

“We also have to be able to build a successful car. I am optimistic that when Max wins again and Sergio (Perez) takes third or fourth places, it will look different again,” Marko added, referring to McLaren’s lead in the constructors’ championship.

Mathematically, second place finishes for Verstappen with Norris winning every remaining grand prix will be enough for the drivers’ title, but Marko is skeptical.

“We can only do it if Max wins at least two more races,” he predicts. “If he does that, things will also look a lot more optimistic in the constructors’.”

The Austrian said Red Bull has upped its game since hitting a low at Monza, but while agreeing that it’s a “step in the right direction”, the improvement so far “is not enough”.

“We have worked very hard on improving,” said Marko, “but I think the real difference in performance will only be shown in Austin. We will have something else there,” he added, referring to car upgrades.

“But I agree with [Red Bull Team Boss Christian] Horner – Monza was more than a wake-up call. That was the worst race since … I can’t even remember when. In terms of strategy, pitstop, speed, we were way off.

“Now, at least, we should not have small changes ruining the performance, or temperature differences of six or seven degrees ruining the performance. Max just needs a car that bites at the front.”

Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner talks with Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing in the garage during practice (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

As for Verstappen, spurred on by his ultra-critical father, speculation is raging that he will trigger an exit clause at the end of next year and jump ship to either Mercedes or Aston Martin.

But Marko says Red Bull Racing is also a team of the future.

“A modern wind tunnel will help us,” he said. “Our wind tunnel dates from just after the second world war. That has its disadvantages, of course. It takes a very long time to increase the temperature in it.

“The tunnel is simply outdated. We are far from up-to-date with the latest techniques, so I hope that our new wind tunnel can be put into use in 2026.”