Can Scuderia Ferrari truly pose a threat to Red Bull in the 2024 Formula 1 championship? Red Bull director and Head of the team’s driver development programme, Helmut Marko, believes so.
The encouraging data (albeit with caution regarding Mercedes) from the pre-season testing session in Bahrain highlight the significant strides forward for the Prancing Horse team. Max Verstappen remains the man to beat, but the Red Bull advisor urges calmness and, above all, not to take anything for granted.
When asked for his opinion on this year’s Ferrari and whether it can indeed pose a threat, the 80-year-old admitted, “They’ve come closer. In qualifying, perhaps they are on par with us.”
In particular, Marko mentioned Charles Leclerc, “the best qualifier,” emphasizing that this is his specialty. “On a circuit like Monte Carlo, it’s difficult if you don’t start at the front.” – he pointed out.
The Red Bull leadership knows they cannot replicate the dominance of 2023 entirely. Or, at least, only to some extent. While there is almost a mathematical certainty in Milton Keynes of securing the fourth consecutive constructor’s title, they advise not to underestimate Ferrari this year.
“The world title is clearly within reach,” declared Helmut Marko to the same Austrian site. If this were to materialize, the Red Bull advisor believes that Max Verstappen could put himself “in a position where only Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton are ahead of him.” The only difference is that “it took them much longer to achieve these milestones.” – he concluded.
Source: f1ingenerale
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