Red Bull “surprised” that Lando Norris, the rival who kept Max Verstappen fair, opposed the Dutchman who won the Chinese Grand Prix.
Red Bull has long been the dominant force in Formula 1. But for much of last season in particular, the picture was much less clear, with the balance of forces shifting regularly, weekly.
The scenario has been a little more solid this season, with Ferrari being the champions’ main rival in the opening weeks of the campaign. McLaren has been sitting a comfortable third place lately, with Mercedes only fourth and under pressure from visiting Aston Martin.
However, Ferrari struggled to find speed in Shanghai, and Norris was the man who finished second, ahead of the two Scuderia drivers and also Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez. In his Speedweek column, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko expressed his surprise at the result. .
He wrote: “Behind Red Bull Racing we enjoy the ups and downs between the chasers. I like that. Because it means that our advantage increases if someone else constantly completes us. “
“In China we were surprised that this time Lando Norris had strength with McLaren. We expected Ferrari to be stronger. But neither in the long runs, nor in qualifying nor in the races, could they get close to the most sensible. three.
Among the non-Red Bull drivers on the grid, Marko made clear his view that Norris is elegant on the grid. Marko continued: “If we forget for a moment about the Red Bull drivers, Lando Norris impresses the other drivers. , who has a more transparent grip on Oscar Piastri at McLaren than he did last year.
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“Then comes Carlos Sainz, who has been ahead of Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, except in China. Also in the rankings. That surprised me. Even in qualifying, Sainz drives very aggressively and won impressively in Australia.
“And then, of course, Fernando Alonso, who has done things in the last few tests and has shown his enormous dueling strength in the races, as he showed in the duel with Perez in Shanghai, does not give an inch.
However, Leclerc is lately the closest to the Red Bull drivers in the constructors’ championship. He has 76 points, seven more than teammate Sainz, who missed a race with appendicitis, while Norris is fifth with 58 but has closed the gap to his superiors who thank him for his strong performance in China.
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