Red Bull Racing's director, Helmut Marko, has expressed unexpected sympathy for rival teams, acknowledging that their recent strategic choices ultimately played into Red Bull's hands.
Marko's remarks came after the Italian Grand Prix last weekend, where both McLaren and Ferrari allowed their drivers to race each other freely.
McLaren's Oscar Piastri controversially took the lead off of his own team-mate Lando Norris on the opening lap of the Italian GP with an aggressive move on the pole-sitter which saw the Briton also lose out to Charles Leclerc. This move certainly seemed to benefit Red Bull despite their own underwhelming performance at Monza.
Max Verstappen was only able to improve from seventh on the grid to a sixth-place finish last weekend, crossing the line nearly 38 seconds behind race winner Leclerc.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri delivered another tense on-track battle at MonzaMax Verstappen failed to make an impression at the Italian Grand Prix
Speaking to oe24, Marko reflected on the strategies deployed by Red Bull rivals McLaren and Ferrari, saying, "Both were actually to our advantage. Despite our lacklustre performance, Max is still 62 points ahead.
"But that lead could quickly shrink if we continue like this."
Helmut Marko was not impressed with Red Bull's performance in Italy
Red Bull's dominance this season has largely been attributed to the exceptional driving of Max Verstappen, who holds a 62-point lead in the drivers' championship.
Marko did however issue a cautionary note, acknowledging that the lead for both Red Bull and Verstappen is far from secure.
"If we don’t give him a drivable car and keep delivering performances like that, anything is possible," Marko warned.
As the 81-year-old alluded, the willingness of Red Bull's competitors to allow such intra-team competition has seemingly contributed to maintaining Verstappen's cushion at the top of the standings.
Despite his praise for their courage, Marko's underlying message was clear: Red Bull cannot afford to rest on their laurels.
With eight races remaining in the season, the team must recognise that the margin for error is slim, and complacency could see their rivals close the gap.
As the title race heats up, all eyes will be on whether Red Bull can continue to fend off the challenge from McLaren next weekend in Baku.
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