Red Bull faces a serious challenge in Melbourne, with Helmut Marko admitting McLaren is much faster than expected—maybe even a full second ahead.
Max Verstappen isn’t sugarcoating it—he’s heading to Australia without real hope of victory. And now, Red Bull’s Helmut Marko has put numbers on just how far behind they are.
McLaren, after a stellar pre-season in Bahrain, is shaping up as the team to beat. While Red Bull expected to be trailing by a few tenths, Marko now admits the gap is much worse.
“You can call it a disaster,” he said bluntly. “McLaren is half a second to a full second faster per lap.”
That’s a massive difference—way beyond early predictions. And it’s not just about pace. Marko pointed out how McLaren played their cards cleverly during testing.
“They were smart. They didn’t show everything. Sector one, best time. Sector two, boom. Then straight into the pits. They tried to hide their true speed, but we analyzed the data. The gap is at least half a second.”
What’s even more concerning? McLaren wasn’t even the fastest in a straight line.
“That tells us they weren’t using full engine power,” Marko added. “If that’s true, then in Australia, they’ll finish one-two. No doubt about it.”
Red Bull, the dominant force of recent years, is suddenly playing catch-up. Can they turn it around in time? Melbourne might give us the first real answers.
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McLaren’s Shock Pace Leaves Red Bull Struggling McLaren’s Shock Pace Leaves Red Bull Struggling
