Helmut Marko Mocks McLaren’s Strategy Misstep at Italian Grand Prix, Boosts Red Bull’s Championship Hopes

Helmut Marko takes a dig at McLaren with a comment about "sportsmanship" at the Italian Grand Prix, saying, "I value that, and it improves our position somewhat."

Helmut Marko humorously expressed his gratitude to McLaren for their "sportsmanship" following their loss of the Italian Grand Prix F1 race win.

McLaren is currently only eight points away from Red Bull in the Formula 1 constructors’ standings.

The team from Woking might have topped the leaderboard after the Monza race 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 move.

This enabled Charles Leclerc to seize the front position in the race, maintaining it by utilizing a one-stop strategy.

By finishing in third place, Norris managed to cut Max Verstappen's lead in the drivers' championship by just eight points, bringing the gap to 62 points as they head to Azerbaijan.

In an interview with the Dutch newspaper de Telegraaf, Marko refuted claims that the outcome was "disappointing" and proceeded to ridicule McLaren.

"Was it a disappointing outcome? Absolutely not," he stated. "We anticipated this to some extent, and I would like to extend my congratulations to Ferrari for their win and express my gratitude to McLaren for their fair play."

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

Red Bull faced a disappointing weekend, with Verstappen managing to secure only a sixth-place finish.

Placing sixth is his lowest race finish since the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in 2022.

Facing significant challenges, Red Bull is at risk in both championship standings, 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 America, providing them with essential time to possibly discover ways for Verstappen to secure his fourth world championship this year.

Marko is still certain that Verstappen will be a game-changer in 2024.

"He added that Max remains the most mentally resilient and skilled driver in the lineup."

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