Helmut Marko fires Max Verstappen ‘naïve’ warning as Lando Norris chases first F1 title

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Helmut Marko has fired Max Verstappen a ‘naïve’ warning as the Red Bull driver looks to hold off McLaren rival Lando Norris and win his fourth championship title in a row.

The Dutchman has dominated Formula 1 in recent years but Red Bull have lost their way this season. An upgrade to the RB20’s floor edge set the team from Milton Keynes back and only at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last time out could Red Bull find more pace with a revised floor.

But while Sergio Perez was more comfortable with his RB20 in Baku and fought for a podium place, Verstappen often moaned at the Azerbaijan GP of balance issues. Perez’s penultimate lap crash also saw McLaren go into the lead of the constructors’ championship by 20 points.

Helmut Marko admits Red Bull must go all-in on Max Verstappen’s title defence

Red Bull motorsport advisor Marko concedes that it ‘will be difficult’ to re-pass McLaren and defend their constructors’ title. The Austrian even admits that Red Bull’s focus must move to ensuring Verstappen can defend his drivers’ title after Norris reduced his deficit to 59 points.

Marko fears that while Norris only outscored Verstappen by three points in Baku, the tide of momentum is flowing in McLaren’s favour going into the Singapore Grand Prix. It is also very much still possible for the Briton to surpass the three-time defending champion this season.

READ MORE: Five unforgettable Singapore GP from Crashgate to Ferrari vs Max Verstappen

There are still 206 points on offer across the last seven rounds, including Sprint events at the United States Grand Prix, the Sao Paolo Grand Prix and the Qatar Grand Prix. So, as McLaren are competitive everywhere, Marko feels it would be ‘naïve’ to rule out Norris’ title chances.

“It will be difficult,” Marko told Bild about Red Bull winning the constructors’ title. “McLaren are 20 points ahead and have a car that works on every track. We have to concentrate on Max and the drivers’ championship.

“Max has a good buffer but the constructors’ championship has shown how quickly the tide can turn. It would be naïve if we sat back.”

Lando Norris will hope to hammer home Helmut Marko’s fears in the Singapore GP

An incorrectly shown yellow flag cost Norris in qualifying for the Azerbaijan GP as he bowed out in Q1 having been unable to improve on the 24-year-old’s final run. Had he advanced to Q3, the Bristol-born pilot would likely have been in the mix for pole position and then a win.

Instead, it fell on Oscar Piastri to deliver for McLaren and the Australian stepped up with P2 on the grid. A brilliant, late dive into Turn 1 even saw Piastri pass Charles Leclerc to win the Azerbaijan GP, earning points that would have done Norris the world of good in his title bid.

READ MORE: The most successful Formula 1 drivers at the Singapore Grand Prix of all time

Now, Norris will go into the Singapore GP striving to put a far bigger dent into Verstappen’s lead. The city streets of Marina Bay were not a happy place for Red Bull last year but were strong for McLaren as Norris finished in P2 while Verstappen could only achieve fifth place.

Their eight-point difference from one year ago would still not be enough for Norris this year, however. While there are still a maximum of 206 points available this term, the Briton must outscore his rival by 8.4 points on average in the last seven rounds to win his first title in F1.