Helmut Marko Mocks McLaren’s ‘Sportsmanship’ After Italian GP Strategy Misstep Boosts Red Bull’s Championship Hopes

Helmut Marko takes a dig at McLaren, referencing "sportsmanship" during the Italian Grand Prix

"I value that, and it slightly improves our position."

Helmut Marko humorously expressed gratitude towards McLaren for their "sportsmanship" after they squandered the win at the Italian Grand Prix F1 race.

McLaren is currently trailing Red Bull by only eight points in the Formula 1 constructors' championship.

The Woking team might have topped the leaderboard following Monza if they had achieved a first and second place finish.

Nevertheless, opting for a two-stop strategy for Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris proved to be an expensive decision.

This enabled Charles Leclerc to seize the race lead and maintain it using a single pit-stop strategy.

Norris came in third place, which cut Max Verstappen's lead in the drivers’ championship by just eight points, bringing the gap to 62 points before the Azerbaijan race.

In an interview with the Dutch newspaper de Telegraaf, Marko denied that it was a “disappointing result” and took the opportunity to ridicule McLaren.

"A disappointing outcome? Absolutely not," he remarked. "We had anticipated this to some extent, and I would like to extend my congratulations to Ferrari on their win and express my gratitude to McLaren for their fair play."

"I’m grateful for that, and it somewhat improves our circumstances."

Red Bull had a tough time over the weekend, with Verstappen managing to secure only the sixth position.

The last time he finished in a position as low as sixth place on the track was during the 2022 Sao Paulo Grand

Given Red Bull's significant challenges, they are at risk in both the drivers' and constructors' championships, especially with the upcoming races in Baku and Singapore, which are anticipated to be unfavorable for them.

The positive development for Red Bull is that they have a month-long break before the series of races in the United States. This interval gives them valuable time to possibly discover solutions that could enable Verstappen to secure his fourth world championship this year.

Marko is still sure that Verstappen will stand out in 2024.

"He also mentioned that mentally and in terms of quality, Max remains the top driver in the competition."

Further Information

Recent Updates

Recent Updates

Site Map

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

It is prohibited to reproduce text, photos, or illustrations, either entirely or in part, in any manner.