Marko’s bold bet: Red Bull will outpace McLaren by Imola

Red Bull’s Helmut Marko was brimming with confidence after the team’s strong showing in Jeddah last weekend, claiming that “small steps” in the development of the RB21 should put the bull in a position to beat their McLaren rival by the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola in mid-May.

After a lackluster Bahrain, where Max Verstappen trailed far behind his McLaren opponents, Red Bull’s tweaks in Saudi Arabia – including a new beam wing and reprofiled engine cover for better cooling – yielded a significant improvement.

Verstappen snatched pole by a mere 0.01s over McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and finished just 2.8s behind the Aussie in last Sunday’s race, despite a five-second penalty for an off-track overtake at Turn 1.

For Marko, the RB21’s leap forward signals Red Bull’s return to form, with Imola as the target to reclaim dominance.

“Compared to Bahrain, we made a big progress,” Marko told Motorsport.com. “But also this circuit suits us better – faster corners and so on.

“We are moving forward and getting a car which is more predictable and is also working in a wider range.

“We will have small steps, and I think by Imola we should be in a position that we also have the speed to beat the McLarens.”

Marko’s Strategic Optimism

Interestingly, Marko’s belief in Red Bull’s trajectory is unshaken by Piastri’s current winning form, with the Australian securing three wins in five races and holding a 10-point advantage over teammate Lando Norris, with Verstappen two points further back.

“Yes, that’s not worrying,” said the 81-year-old. “It won’t be easy, but we have proven that we can win the championship even if we are behind.

“I still remember, with Vettel we were more than forty points behind and still won the world championship.”

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Marko sees opportunity in McLaren’s internal rivalry, noting that Piastri and Norris are unlikely to yield to team orders early in the season.

“We prefer that one wins first and then the other, for a change. Piastri and Norris are unlikely to submit to team orders just like that. And that’s actually a great opportunity for us – for those two to compete with each other,” added the Austrian.

Verstappen echoed Marko’s optimism, calling Jeddah an “overall positive” weekend.

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“Despite everything in the race, getting P2 quite close behind Oscar was overall a positive weekend for us,” said the Dutchman.

“Of course, on tracks with higher degradation we still have more work to do, but we did well with the setup, the car went well and we had really good race pace.

“Especially after Bahrain, this was a good weekend to finish off the triple header and we just need to keep working and be as consistent as possible.

“It really has been a good and positive race and it is promising for the races ahead.”

As McLaren’s drivers battle each other, Red Bull is poised to capitalize, with Verstappen’s pace and the team’s methodical development setting the stage for a potential championship shift in just two races’ time.

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