Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull face a high-stakes battle, crucial for their positions in the constructors’ championship in Mexico.
As the title battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris continues in Mexico, their fight for the championship, much like in Austin, is expected to play out once again behind the Ferraris.
Norris, trailing by 57 points in the championship, benefits this weekend from a new floor on his McLaren.
“It’s not a huge gain,” he lamented on Friday.
“We’ll probably be fighting for pole, even though we’re slightly behind Ferrari.”
Verstappen, meanwhile, faced issues with his floor during the first session—damage caused by debris. However, more serious engine troubles limited him to just four laps in the second session.
“We are at the limit with everything,” admitted team advisor Dr. Helmut Marko.
“The new floor is severely damaged. Fortunately, we have a spare.”
“As for the power unit, we still don’t know what caused the issue. But it’s a lot of problems for one day. We’ve barely done any laps. We are far from the front. I’d like us to be a bit more competitive, but that’s unfortunately not the case.”
“Optimistically, with Max, we should be positioned between Ferrari and McLaren.”
The fact that Ferrari appears to have the fastest car in Mexico, as the Italian team did a week ago in Austin, is both good and bad news for Red Bull.
The good news is that Norris has a lower chance of securing maximum points.
“Four different teams can win at the moment,” says Marko. “This makes it unlikely that a single driver will win all the remaining races. But we cannot afford to have any retirements either, so it will remain thrilling.”
Ferrari’s late-season surge, however, spells bad news for Red Bull—particularly in the constructors’ standings.
“We are determined to avoid slipping to third place. The difference between second and third place is about $7 million. It has a noticeable impact on the budget.”
Just a few months ago, when Marko was asked to compare the ultra-intense title fight of 2021 with Mercedes to Red Bull’s new battle with McLaren, the Austrian said that this season was “clearly not as intense.”
However, as the Red Bull-McLaren battle of 2024 reaches its peak—amid a fierce war of words, technical arguments, and controversies over penalties—Marko has changed his view.
“The atmosphere is currently extremely tense.”
Team principal Christian Horner denies that the rising animosity is the result of Red Bull’s actions.
“I am always intrigued to read such statements because I don’t think we have made too many comments about McLaren. Now, inevitably, when you’re at the front, everything comes under closer scrutiny. And McLaren is certainly very vocal about many aspects of our team.”
McLaren’s attempt to overturn the penalty from the United States Grand Prix, which cost Lando Norris even more points in his title fight with Max Verstappen, has failed.
Dr. Helmut Marko had predicted that the “right to review” of the stewards’ decision would fail at the first hurdle.
“This requires new and significant evidence, and we did not see any. It is McLaren’s right to request a right of review, but they could only succeed if they presented new and clear evidence.”
“The drivers themselves were involved in establishing these rules, and according to those rules, it was very clear that the penalty had to be imposed.”
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Tense Showdown Ferrari – McLaren – Red Bull Fight for Points Tense Showdown Ferrari – McLaren – Red Bull Fight for Points
