Helmut Marko Picks His Favorites for Monaco, and It’s Not Max Verstappen or Lando Norris

Red Bull finally showed cracks in their dominant front at the Emilia Romagna GP. Sergio Perez heavily faltered in qualifying with a Q2 knockout, and Max Verstappen nearly lost as Lando Norris maximized McLaren’s latest upgrades. This duel in the concluding stages of the race established McLaren as the second-place contender in 2024, leapfrogging Ferrari. However, Red Bull Team Advisor Helmut Marko is unconcerned about the Woking outfit’s threat at the Monaco GP up next.

Since the beginning of 2023, Verstappen has been cruising to victories with over 15 to 30 seconds to spare his rivals. However, in Imola yesterday, Norris’s upgraded MCL38 was a better brute than the Dutchman’s RB19, reducing the gap to only 0.7 seconds in the last lap. Helmut Marko theorized that the non-cohesiveness of the individual upgrades caused problems for Verstappen. Nonetheless, his brilliance still earned him his fifth win of 2024.

Red Bull, however, only has a few days to fix their issues. The Monaco GP is the second race of the Italian/French double-header. Here, Marko expects the winds of change to strike violently, with Ferrari being the favorite over McLaren. “We know we’ll have to fight in Monaco, for sure,” Marko said, as quoted by Motorsport’s Italian branch. “And Monte-Carlo is a track where everything is decided in qualifying. It will probably be one of the most difficult for us also because of the curb issue. But I think the Ferraris will be stronger than the McLarens because it’s all about qualifying,” the 81-year-old concluded.

Monaco is also Charles Leclerc’s home race. This gives the Maranello outfit an extra boost to ensure that Max Verstappen’s heroics are kept in check. But as we saw, Sergio Perez’s absence from the front cost Verstappen a teammate who could defend from McLaren. Neither Marko nor Team Principal Christian Horner were impressed with that.

Helmut Marko and Christian Horner rue Sergio Perez’s lack of support for Max Verstappen

Similar to 2023, after a few brilliant performances, Sergio Perez showed first signs of struggle at the Imola GP. The Mexican driver, like his 3-time champion teammate, struggled in practice as Red Bull’s upgrades lost them 1 second in race pace. But unlike Verstappen’s qualifying revival to take Pole, Perez got knocked out in Q2 by Daniel Ricciardo, the man who is in contention for his 2025 seat.

Christian Horner was understandably irate, highlighting how Perez should’ve been at the front supporting Verstappen. “We need him (Perez) obviously up there supporting Max in the same way the two Ferraris and the two McLarens are together,” he said. Helmut Marko echoed his Team Boss’s stance by highlighting Perez’s unlucky attempt at adapting to the upgrades.

“That was a bit unfortunate,” Marko said, post-qualifying. “At first, he was driving on used soft tires, then on new soft tires, and he was surprised by the grip he had. I think he lost three-tenths at Turn 7 and that was enough [to be out in Q2] with the tight field.”

With McLaren confidently in the mix for podiums, Perez will be under immense pressure in qualifying at Monaco. Ferrari’s upgrades could also kick in at the iconic street circuit in the principality. Unless the Red Bull pair equally aces qualifying, their constructors’ championship spot will be under threat.