F1 Singapore GP 2024: Helmut Marko throws in the towel with the Constructors' World Championship
McLaren has completed the 'sorpasso' to Red Bull after the last Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Woking team won the race with a great performance from Oscar Piastri, while Lando Norris recovered from a bad qualifying, finishing ahead of Max Verstappen and taking the fastest lap. For its part, the energy drink team had another bad weekend, as Checo Pérez was close to the podium when he had an accident with Carlos Sainz, while the '1' continued to have problems and finished fifth.
For quite a few races, the Milton Keynes team has not had the fastest car on the grid, and has been clearly outclassed by the 'Papayas'. After Baku, this overtaking is already a fact in the classification. Helmut Marko, the team's advisor, does not believe that he will be brought back and fears for the drivers' team.
Red Bull's moment
After a long time, they are no longer leading both championships. The Austrian team has dropped one step and now occupies second place. At the end of the race in Baku, Marko was asked if he had given up hope, his answer was emphatic: “To be honest, yes.”. They will also have to keep an eye on Ferrari, who are only 31 points behind.
Helmut Marko speaking with Max Verstappen
Amidst all the bad, Milton Keynes can take something positive: the emergence of Piastri. The Australian has won his second race and is starting to create doubts in the McLaren garage. “The positive thing is that Oscar Piastri is close to Lando Norris in terms of points and there are team orders within McLaren. Therefore, clarity will not come so quickly,” said the 81-year-old.
The problems that are to come
Right now the superiority of the '4' over the three-time champion on the track is evident. The other day they had to fight for position on the Baku street circuit, and the Englishman had no problems finishing ahead. The consultant analysed the problems the Dutchman had to deal with in the last GP: “Max couldn't even get it hooked up. The tyres failed and the brakes were getting hot. The car has potential, but the set-up is still very sensitive.”
The championship is not resting and this weekend they will have another race in which they cannot fail. They no longer hold the first position in the World Team Championship, but they still maintain the lead in the drivers' standings. The Austrian believes that the performance will improve, but not in Marina Bay: “The progress will not be seen yet in Singapore. We will have to see how we get through that race, but we really need to do better from Austin onwards.” Marko is confident of this improvement, but if they do not make it he believes that the problems could be very serious: “Otherwise, the drivers' championship will also be in danger”.
