Red Bull had a dominant season with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez so far, with nobody coming close to them. However, after some recent performances by McLaren, Red Bull mastermind Helmut Marko accepted the ‘scary’ possibility of being hunted by them, as per Krone. Interestingly enough, the Papayas were one of the weakest teams at the start of the season, and they are now a threat to the most dominant team in 2023.
The Woking-based team made massive progress as the 2023 season progresse. From the time where they were without points after the first two races of the season, they have picked up the most points in the last three races in the grid.
THREE IN A ROW! 👏👏👏@LandoNorris #QatarGP 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/7zlRcIOZi9
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) October 8, 2023
Even though McLaren do not have a win so far, their Sprint win and consistent podium finishes are proof of their advancement. As things stand, they are clearly the favorite to overtake Aston Martin at P4 and chase Ferrari for P3.
McLaren could make things ‘tough’ for Red Bull next year
The Red Bull taskmaster, Helmut Marko, has recently opened up on their closest rival. Even though Ferrari is the only team with a win other than Red Bull this season, the Austrian is convinced that the Papayas are a bigger threat.
Talking about this, Marko stated to ORF, as per Krone, “We set our pace towards McLaren. This is noteworthy, it’s scary that it happens on every route. They are our most constant pursuers and are still improving.”
Same but different…
The podiums in Japan and Qatar 👀#F1 @redbullracing @McLarenF1 pic.twitter.com/nLKxDn2oM6
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 9, 2023
He added, “It could probably be a tough battle next year.” Since this year’s championship battle is over, the Austrian team will be looking at their progress next season and keep their advantage intact.
Lando Norris confident of making the impossible this season
After scoring zero points in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, nobody predicted that McLaren would be closer to overtaking Aston Martin.
Now, as the Papayas stand 11 points behind the Green team, chances are they will be taking the P4 spot in the very next race. This comes in contradiction with Fernando Alonso’s comments on Lando Norris.
As the British driver was confident about their charge on Lawrence Stroll’s team, the Spanish driver said that the Papayas were a bit “overconfident” with their approach, as per Autosport. However, going by the current scenario, Norris seems to have struck gold with his prediction.
