Helmut Marko exposes ‘factor’ hurting Red Bull in F1 championship fight with McLaren

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Red Bull are struggling to keep up with their rivals as McLaren have stormed the field in recent months.

The defending champions seem to not have an answer for the Woking-based squad, who have shown blistering speed and consistency to take the lead of the Constructors’ Championship by 41 points with six races to go.

Red Bull have been left struggling to compete with the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes too, who are beginning to put even more pressure on the Milton Keynes outfit to keep themselves in the hunt for the title. Red Bull are setting out to fix their top speed issues as they look to keep Max Verstappen on top of the championship.

What has not helped Red Bull this season is the amount of key personnel that have left the team in 2024. Legendary engineer Adrian Newey is bound for Aston Martin, while Jonathan Wheatley and Will Courtenay will be departing for Audi and McLaren respectively, dealing a hard blow to Red Bull and their operations.

These departures have left several big holes that need filling if the team are to fix their fortunes. Ralf Schumacher does not have confidence in Pierre Wache to fill the void as the German believes it will take some time for Red Bull to turn things around.

Helmut Marko admits McLaren have a stronger driver pairing than Red Bull due Sergio Perez’s ‘fluctuations’

Another issue for Red Bull is the inconsistency shown by Sergio Perez this season. While Verstappen is now facing difficulties with the RB20, the Mexican was struggling long before the issues were apparent with the car.

Perez has not finished on the podium since China, or in fact finished in the top five since Miami, while Verstappen has claimed three wins and six podiums in that time. The Mexican is sat eighth in the drivers’ standings with 144 points, a numbing 187 points behind his teammate.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Sergio Perez’s life outside F1 from net worth to nickname

In contrast, Red Bull’s rivals McLaren have extracted the most from their car with both drivers, as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have both finished in the top five from Silverstone onwards, winning four races in that time.

With Perez’s struggles to get to grips with the car and his inconstant results, Marko believes McLaren boast a stronger driver pairing than Red Bull.

The Austrian said via sport.de: “We know that Pérez has fluctuations. Especially when the car is modified at short notice, he needs a longer time to adapt. That is certainly a factor why McLaren is currently stronger than us in terms of driver pairing.

“In terms of speed, he can do it. He just has fluctuations that are becoming more and more unpredictable.

“There is only a guarantee in Formula 1 if you deliver the appropriate performance.”

Can Max Verstappen hold on to his championship lead?

With just six races to go, Verstappen is coming under increased pressure from Norris to hold on to his crown, as the Brit lies 52 points behind the Dutchman heading into the United States Grand Prix.

Verstappen can afford to finish second at the remaining races and Sprint events, regardless of the fastest lap bonus point, and still win his fourth consecutive title thanks to Daniel Ricciardo setting the fastest lap at the Singapore Grand Prix.

However, with the RB20’s lack of performance, it is doubtful whether the Dutchman will be able to even achieve that feat, let alone take victory. Verstappen has only finished on the podium three times in the last eight races.

In fact, the 27-year-old has not won a race since Spain or grabbed a pole position since Austria. After Norris’ dominant victory in Singapore, it is obvious that Red Bull no longer have the upper hand as they risk losing both titles in 2024.