Red Bull: Helmut Marko admits Max Verstappen can’t catch Lando Norris without mistakes. Helmut Marko explains why Max Verstappen’s championship hopes are over without a mistake from Lando Norris.

The Austrian manager’s analysis

Starting so far behind, Max Verstappen’s comeback in the Brazilian Grand Prix left no room for error. While two third-place finishes in Mexico and Brazil are far from disappointing, especially considering Max Verstappen’s qualifying results, the points gap remained heavy because Lando Norris was flawless, collecting all 58 points available over the last two Grands Prix and the Interlagos Sprint.

Max Verstappen now trails by 49 points in the standings, and barring a dramatic turnaround, he must settle for being “the people’s champion,” as highlighted by Juan Pablo Montoya. Helmut Marko also acknowledged that, without a mistake from Norris, recovering 49 points over three races and a Sprint is virtually impossible. “Without a zero from Norris, we have no chance,” Marko wrote in his column on speedweek.com. “We missed the opportunity to fight for the title relying solely on our own strength in the half-dozen races after Imola, where we weren’t at our best. The overall situation remains positive, though, because technically we now understand what works and what doesn’t.”

Looking at the remaining races

Regarding the remaining calendar, Helmut Marko believes Red Bull could have good chances in Las Vegas. “The circuit layout should suit the RB21 well, while the long, fast corners in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are likely to favor McLaren. We’ll see how it goes, especially because, as we saw in Brazil, it takes very little to end up off the pace and get eliminated in Q1.”