The Red Bull motor sport adviser, Helmut Marko, described Max Verstappen’s elimination from the Austrian Grand Prix as a “black day”, admitting the world champion’s title ambitions were all but over. The remarks were echoed by the team principal, Christian Horner, who conceded the title fight was now a two-horse race.
McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri achieved a dominant one-two, but Verstappen played no part in proceedings after he was struck by the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli at turn three on the opening lap, knocking both cars out of the race.
It leaves Verstappen 61 points adrift of Piastri in the championship, a lead that appears all but impossible to bridge given the pace advantage the McLaren enjoys over the rest of the field.
“This is a black day,” Marko said. “The gap is almost impossible to make up. If nothing special happens, we have to assume that the championship is over.
“The McLarens, incredible, this pace in this heat. A half-second advantage per lap on this track. That’s alarming. Especially in these high temperatures. That’s a fact. This was a demonstration. We’re not really sure how we’re going to catch up.”
Thirteen meetings remain but Red Bull look no closer to chasing down McLaren despite the upgrades they brought to Austria. Indeed, Horner acknowledged that the form Norris and Piastri demonstrated at the Red Bull Ring was indicative of their enormous advantage, particularly in how well the McLaren works its tyres.
“It looks very much like a two‑horse race,” Horner said. “You could see how McLaren are racing each other. They’ve got a cushion to the rest. For us we just focus on one race at a time. We don’t even think about championships.
“What’s truly impressive is when you look at how close Oscar is able to run behind Lando with a car fat on fuel at the beginning of the race. He’s basically making love to his exhaust pipe lap after lap and the tyres are not dying.
“That is their advantage. I can’t see any other car that would be able to follow that closely and not grain the front tyres or the rear tyres.”
