Red Bull F1 chief fires BRUTAL dig at McLaren

Christian Horner and Helmut Marko — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Red Bull chief fires BRUTAL dig at McLaren

McLaren challenged Red Bull for the title in 2024

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Monday 30 December 2024 17:00

Red Bull chief Helmut Marko has fired a brutal dig at 2024 championship rivals McLaren.

Both championships in 2024 were contested by the two teams at different stages, with Red Bull winning the drivers' championship with Max Verstappen and McLaren eventually taking home the constructors'.

READ MORE: Hamilton set to ditch key partner

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Many felt McLaren should have done the double, however, with their car having been a lot stronger than Red Bull at different stages of the season.

In the end, though, Lando Norris was comfortably beaten in the drivers' championship, with the Brit 63 points behind Verstappen come the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi.

Lando Norris challenged for the title in 2024

McLaren weakness exposed in F1 title battle

The talented pair often took points off each other at crucial stages this season, thus hindering Norris' overall chances of taking the championship.

Now, Red Bull chief Marko has added to that criticism with a brutal swipe at the constructors' champions.

McLaren raced in 2024 with no clear number one driver

“It was a very difficult year for us, especially with our technical problems,” Marko said to Kleine Zeitung.

“At some point we no longer knew where we had taken a wrong turn and at times we only had the fourth fastest car.

“In this situation, Max [Verstappen] saved us by getting around the car's weaknesses. The turning point was definitely his incredible performance in the rain in Brazil.

“Despite the technical problems, we never made any mistakes in terms of strategy, unlike McLaren in some situations.”

Red Bull Max Verstappen McLaren Lando Norris Helmut Marko Abu Dhabi