Helmut Marko: Red Bull Can Win Italian GP – With One Key Condition

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko believes the team has a legitimate chance to win the Italian Grand Prix, despite a recent eight-race winless streak and Monza not typically favoring Red Bull. This optimism, however, hinges on a crucial condition: McLaren not making significant progress overnight.

Why it matters:

Red Bull has struggled this season, failing to secure a win in the last eight rounds. Their performance at last year's Italian GP was notably poor, with Max Verstappen finishing sixth and Sergio Perez eighth. A win at Monza would be a significant turnaround and a major confidence boost for the team.

The big picture:

Friday's free practice sessions provided a glimmer of hope. In FP2, Max Verstappen placed sixth, just two-tenths behind pacesetter Lando Norris. Yuki Tsunoda, in the junior team, finished ninth, four-tenths off the lead. Marko highlighted this as an "incredible increase compared to last year," when Verstappen and Perez were nine-tenths off in the same session.

The details:

• McLaren's Role: Marko's win prediction is conditional: "If McLaren doesn't show up with something extra tomorrow."
• Rival Assessment: Marko downplayed Ferrari's strong Friday performance, attributing it to their home turf advantage ("Ferrari on Friday is always very good" in Monza). He also dismissed Williams due to inconsistent long runs.
• Red Bull's Progress: While Verstappen's long run was "very impressive," Marko admitted the team still has "a lot to do" regarding qualifying pace. However, they are "very, very satisfied" with their tyre wear.
• Technical Insights: The team has adopted a "different philosophy" for setup, learning from their 2024 struggles at Monza. They've also widened the RB21's operating window, noting that Yuki Tsunoda is "quite close to Max" when the car is more predictable.
• Tsunoda's Challenge: Marko expects Yuki Tsunoda to reach Q3, a feat the Japanese driver has achieved in only one of his last ten qualifying sessions.

What's next:

The focus now shifts to Saturday's qualifying. Red Bull needs to translate its promising long-run pace and improved tyre management into strong single-lap performance to challenge for pole position and ultimately, the win.