Helmut Marko aims ‘very strange’ dig at McLaren as FIA investigation may have caused ‘sudden’ problems

Red Bull are 49 points behind McLaren in the constructors’ championship ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. It’s unlikely they’ll be able to overhaul that deficit before the end of the season.

Last year, Red Bull scored a record 860 points, more than double the haul of nearest challengers Mercedes (409). That made them the strong favourites heading into 2024, even if they expected their rivals to catch up.

They justified that status in the early rounds, winning four of the first five with three one-two finishes. That gave them a 44-point lead over Ferrari and a 99-point advantage over McLaren following the Chinese Grand Prix.

But there has been a near-150-point swing in favour of the Woking outfit since. Red Bull have also fallen behind Ferrari, which could see them become the first team to field the drivers’ champion but finish third since Brabham in 1983.

Red Bull suspect that McLaren haven’t transformed the competitive landscape by entirely fair means. The first major bone of contention was the rear wing Oscar Piastri used to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix – McLaren agreed to make modifications after a dialogue with the FIA.

Executive director Helmut Marko also told the FIA to examine McLaren’s front wing. Zak Brown’s squad countered by querying the legality of a ride-height-altering device on the RB20 in Austin, but that came to nothing.

Helmut Marko hints that McLaren were breaking F1 rules amid Red Bull title fight

Another dispute emerged at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix last time out, this time concerning water in the tyres. Red Bull reported McLaren to the FIA, in addition to other teams, because they suspected they were using the illegal method to cool the tyres.

McLaren’s tyres raised Red Bull’s suspicions at the Singapore GP in September. They spotted water and watermarks on the inside of their wheel rims in the paddock.

Speaking to F1-Insider, Marko said Norris showed ‘unbelievable’ pace in the final stint at Marina Bay. The McLaren driver beat Max Verstappen by just under 21 seconds as the reigning world champion struggled with his tyres.

But in the main dry session in Brazil – the Sprint race – Marko says Red Bull were ‘suddenly faster’ than their rivals, even if Oscar Piastri led Norris in a one-two. He implied that McLaren’s increased tyre wear was down to them halting the water-in-the-tyres trick, though there has been no official confirmation from the FIA.

“It was unbelievable how fast Lando Norris was able to drive, especially towards the end of the race,” Marko said as he looked back on Singapore. “Our tyres were completely worn out. We didn’t have a chance.

“In the sprint in Sao Paulo, we were suddenly faster than the McLaren and Ferrari – even though we hadn’t changed anything. But they suddenly had to deal with high tire wear. That’s very strange.”

Red Bull won’t say one thing ‘on the record’ after Las Vegas Grand Prix technical directive

Red Bull were responsible for another FIA investigation ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Among other teams, Ferrari had to modify their plank.

The sport’s governing body were already planning to crack down on their underbody wear solution ahead of the 2025 season. But Red Bull urged them to bring that technical directive forward and threatened to protest the race results otherwise.

According to Sky Sports F1 reporter Ted Kravitz, Red Bull won’t confirm whether the directive will hurt them, at least ‘on the record’. They may see it as a net gain if other teams are more affected.

On a bumpy street back, it could have a particularly big impact. By contrast, tyre cooling is unlikely to be a major theme given that teams will be desperate to generate heat in extremely cold conditions.