Helmut Marko stunned by ‘crazy’ Lando Norris after delivering ‘alarming’ Red Bull verdict

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Red Bull Racing chief Helmut Marko will be fully aware of the predicament his team are in heading into the final six race weekends of the season.

Few teams are under as much pressure as Red Bull to make significant steps forward during the autumn break between the Singapore Grand Prix and the next race in Austin.

Big changes seem to be coming at their sister team RB with Daniel Ricciardo looking likely to lose his seat to Liam Lawson.

Helmut Marko has long been a champion of Lawson’s talents and Ricciardo wasn’t particularly impressed with comments Marko made during the race weekend about his future.

However, his focus has to turn to what’s happening in Milton Keynes and the developments Red Bull are making.

Christian Horner recently admitted he was 100% sure he knew where Red Bull’s problems lay but developing and installing a solution on the car is a much trickier matter.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Marko spoke to Austrian outlet OE24 after the race and while he wasn’t particularly happy with his team fared, he couldn’t help but give some praise to McLaren star Lando Norris.

Norris led from start to finish after qualifying on pole position with an extraordinary lap.

Marko commented on Norris’s poor race starts as a potential opening for Max Verstappen but that never played out.

It was only Daniel Ricciardo’s fastest lap that stopped Norris from breaking a 26-year-old McLaren record.

Unfortunately, he still managed to close the gap in the Drivers’ Championship while extending McLaren’s lead in the team standings.

Helmut Marko amazed by ‘crazy’ Lando Norris after the Singapore Grand Prix

Marko was interviewed after the race and said: “I left [the Marina Bay Street Circuit] immediately so I could catch my flight home.

“It’s crazy how he [Lando Norris in the McLaren, ed.] drove away.

“Our deficit is alarming. We urgently need performance.

“Thank God we now have four weeks to work on it. Then there will be a few things coming.”

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from height and parents to celebration

Marko had previously promised that the United States Grand Prix was when he expected Red Bull to be competitive but McLaren won’t be resting on their laurels in the meantime.

Andrea Stella has been careful with McLaren’s updates but may recognise that his team are one last upgrade away from putting the Constructors’ Championship out of reach of their closest rivals.

Red Bull face Sergio Perez problem after another difficult weekend

While Marko admits that the car isn’t good enough, the difference in performance between Verstappen and Sergio Perez is once again an issue.

The Dutchman took full advantage of Ferrari’s qualifying issues to put his car on the front row and Lewis Hamilton’s strategy gamble allowed him to drive away from the rest of the field.

Unfortunately, Perez once again was caught out in qualifying and had to try and battle through from P13.

Without a safety car, Perez struggled and Ted Kravitz suggested Red Bull have a problem when it comes to their number two driver.

Mathematically Perez is officially out of contention to win the Drivers’ Championship, but at this stage, he needs to concentrate on not finishing last out of the drivers racing for the top four teams.

Otherwise, he’ll be looking over his shoulder and may suffer the same fate as Ricciardo sooner rather than later.