Pressure is mounting on Red Bull as it finally faces some resistance from Ferrari and McLaren. Max Verstappen enduring a comprehensive defeat in Monaco leaves the team with no choice but to ramp up development. However, it is not as easy as it looks. Helmut Marko reflects on Sergio Perez’s devastating crash to reveal why an ambitious leap in Canada could prove to be counterproductive.
Speaking with Motorsport-Magazin, he said, “If we have to do something extra due to the greater competitiveness of Ferrari and McLaren, we are naturally handicapped.” Speaking on the impact of Perez’s crash, he then added, “If there is another crash, not everything will be available for both cars.”
Perez was left helpless in the crash that ended his race along with Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg. The Mexican driver came out the worst among the trio with a wrecked car.
With little to salvage from his RB20, Red Bull mechanics have no choice but to use spares to make it drivable in Canada. Another crash, however, will leave the team with no choice but to prioritize Verstappen’s car for upgrades.
These fan angles of Perez’s crash in Monaco
Luckily nobody was hurt
(via armandma1, joaocaianoo/IG) pic.twitter.com/Hp5TCOLgt8
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) May 27, 2024
That is because the Dutchman, despite losing three races, is still at the top of the standings. The gap, however, to Charles Leclerc in P2 has come down to just 31 points.
Red Bull, meanwhile, is leading the constructors’ pack by 24 points ahead of Ferrari. Naturally, Max Verstappen is keen on defending his title. However, he is not too optimistic about being able to extract too much out of the upcoming race in Canada.
Max Verstappen not too thrilled about Red Bull’s prospects in Canada
In 2023, Max Verstappen lost just three races over the course of the entire season. Two of those three defeats came at the hands of his Red teammate Sergio Perez.
In 2024, the Dutchman has already lost the same number of races despite the season only progressing to eight Grands Prix. What is worrisome for the Red Bull camp is that none of those defeats have come through Perez.
In the recently concluded Monaco GP, Verstappen struggled throughout the weekend. All hopes of a win were shattered when he qualified P6 on Saturday.
Furthermore, failure to make any progress during the race saw him finish in the same place. Such was the struggle he had to go through that he does not see much hope for the upcoming race either.
Speaking after the Monaco GP, he said, “We have to wait and see. New surface as well, I think that might always give you some surprises. But it’s probably also not going to be our strongest weekend because of that. But probably a little bit better than here.”
