Red Bull insists Max Verstappen’ Singapore second place was ‘equivalent to a win’ amidst Lando Norris’ dominance
Helmut Marko labeled the Singapore Grand Prix as a damage limitation race for Red Bull given their vulnerabilities this season.
Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Helmut Marko (Via: Imago)
Red Bull Technical Advisor Helmut Marko has praised Max Verstappen for his tireless effort to secure P2 at the Singapore GP. Verstappen finished 20 seconds behind McLaren’s Lando Norris, who claimed his third win of the year.
Max Verstappen has been far less competitive in comparison to his usual brilliant standards. The three-time world champion has struggled for pace and balance in his RB20 since late June. Lando Norris, on the other hand, is in the best form of his career, securing 279 points so far this season.
Helmut Marko has backed his team and their efforts against the championship leaders, McLaren. Marko has deemed Verstappen’s second-place finish equivalent to a win, as Red Bull had less hopes going into the Marina Bay event.
Second place [in Singapore] was equivalent to a win for us.
Helmut Marko told Motorsport-Total
Verstappen, despite his odds, leads the drivers’ championship with a handsome lead of 52 points over Norris. Going forward, the Dutchman will seek to make a return to the top step by resolving the issues in the RB20 ahead of Austin next month.
Helmut Marko accredits Lando Norris’ pace to the usage of medium tires during Singapore GP
Lando Norris started on pole to lead every lap from start to finish, securing an extravagant win at the Marina Bay circuit last week. The Papayas’ MCL38 has been miles ahead in terms of pace ever since the resumption after the summer break.
Well, Lando’s dominance was mainly due to the medium tyre. He was picking up nine tenths to one-second per lap on us. It’s also extraordinary that if our cars were, let’s say, optimised, Verstappen wouldn’t have been able to set those times on the medium tyre. And we all wonder how that’s possible.
Helmut Marko told Motorsport-Total
Marko has claimed that Norris’ scintillating pace was mainly due to his fresher set of medium tires. The 81-year old then said that the Brit was gaining almost a second per lap to them in Singapore.
Red Bull has failed to resolve several past issues, which currently haunts their present progress greatly. Their weaknesses have opened the door for McLaren and Ferrari in the constructors’ championship. The Milton-Keynes-based team now requires desperate results to even dream of securing any silverware this year.
Yashraj Chowdhury
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