Marko Sounds the Alarm: Red Bull “Cannot Rely on McLaren’s Mistakes”

After a Friday in which Lando Norris and McLaren again set the pace at Yas Marina, the Red Bull advisor admitted that his team is “not in a very comfortable situation” and must find answers through performance rather than fortune.

A fragile balance of power

The backdrop to Marko’s remarks is a finely poised battle between Red Bull and McLaren. Across recent races, McLaren has repeatedly shown front‑running pace, with Norris in particular emerging as a consistent threat to Max Verstappen. However, operational slips, strategic gambles that did not pay off, or small driver errors have occasionally opened the door for Red Bull to limit the damage or even snatch victory.

Marko’s warning that Red Bull “cannot count three times on errors” from McLaren is therefore both a reality check and a message to his own team: relying on rivals to falter is not a sustainable strategy.

“Not in a very comfortable situation”

Marko’s description of Red Bull’s position as “not very comfortable” is rooted in the way the RB is behaving around Yas Marina. Verstappen has reported understeer and a general lack of front‑end grip, particularly in the more technical sections of the lap. This has left him unable to attack the apexes with his usual aggression, costing time in the final sector where confidence and rotation are crucial.

Why Red Bull can no longer bank on McLaren

When Marko says Red Bull cannot rely on McLaren’s mistakes, he is implicitly acknowledging how much the competitive landscape has shifted. McLaren’s operational level has risen significantly: pit stops are consistently sharp, strategy calls are generally sound, and Norris has cut down on errors.

For Marko, this means Red Bull must approach Abu Dhabi with the mindset that they need to beat McLaren on merit. That involves:

• Finding a set‑up that gives Verstappen more confidence on turn‑in.
• Maximising tyre preparation for qualifying laps.
• Ensuring that race‑stint pace is strong enough to apply pressure.

What Red Bull must change overnight

For Red Bull to move from “not comfortable” to genuinely competitive, several key areas need attention before qualifying:

• Front‑end grip and rotation: Verstappen needs more bite on turn‑in, especially in the final sector.
• Tyre warm‑up: Ensuring that the soft tyres are in the right window at the start of the flying lap is critical.
• Race‑stint consistency: Red Bull must secure a car that is gentle on its tyres and consistent over long runs.

Conclusion: Performance, not luck

Helmut Marko’s warning encapsulates Red Bull’s reality at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The days when the team could count on a comfortable performance cushion are gone. With Verstappen still searching for full confidence and Norris leading the way, Red Bull’s path to victory cannot be built on the hope of a third McLaren error. It must come from unlocking genuine pace.