Norris DNF needed for title to stay alive for Verstappen

(GMM) Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko (pictured center) has bluntly conceded that Max Verstappen [as well as Oscar Piastri] now needs a major setback to befall Lando Norris if the championship fight is to continue.

Writing in his latest Speed Week column, Marko admitted the points math leaves Verstappen with no realistic path without outside intervention.

“With a 49-point deficit to Norris, three Grands Prix remaining and a sprint finish, something has to happen with Lando Norris now to keep Max’s championship hopes alive,” he said.

“Otherwise, we have no chance – either Lando retires or there’s a collision.”

Marko said the situation is nonetheless “positive” given how far Red Bull had clawed back performance.

“We’re not happy about the gap, but the positive for us is that we’ve managed this turnaround over the course of the season, and so dramatically that we suddenly found ourselves back in the championship fight,” said the Austrian.

Looking ahead, he said the remaining circuits are less predictable than they once were.

“Assessing the balance of power on the last three tracks isn’t so easy, because the days are over in Formula 1 when a particular track was best suited to a specific car,” Marko wrote. “If we find the right setup, we’ll be running at McLaren’s level.

“Las Vegas should suit us better with its fast sections. Qatar and Abu Dhabi, with their medium-speed corners, should be more suited to McLaren – but such assessments are no longer as valid as they used to be.”

Marko also revealed Red Bull has identified what caused the erratic performance in Brazil – the floor specification, which the team changed multiple times during the weekend.

“We now know, in principle, which floor we will continue to use, and which wing setting works best.”

Meanwhile, it has emerged that McLaren’s suggestion [crying like babies] that Verstappen’s fresh engine in Brazil should count against Red Bull in the cost cap was unfounded – with it now emerging that the power unit was indeed declared within the budget-cap accounting.