Helmut Marko identifies new Red Bull rival for Dutch GP as ‘something has changed’

Helmut Marko has declared McLaren “untouchable” as he identified Red Bull’s main challenger for best of the rest.

McLaren topped the times in both practice sessions at Zandvoort on Friday, with Red Bull unable to get in the mix at the very front.

Helmut Marko: McLaren is untouchable

McLaren claimed a 1-2 in first practice on Friday morning at Zandvoort, with Lando Norris ahead of Oscar Piastri by almost three-tenths of a second, as Lance Stroll was the nearest challenger on a best time half a second behind Norris.

Norris also claimed the fastest time in FP2, while Fernando Alonso underlined Aston Martin’s pace by finishing second and less than a tenth off the top time.

Alonso was left as the sole Aston Martin driver as Lance Stroll crashed out with just seven laps on the board, with Piastri finishing the day’s action in third place.

For Red Bull, Max Verstappen was never in the mix at the front. The home hero wound up in fifth at the chequered flag at the end of FP2, having bounced back from a rare mistake at the end of first practice in which he ended up beached in the gravel at Turn 1.

“I think McLaren is untouchable,” was Helmut Marko’s reaction at the day’s end, as he spoke to media, including PlanetF1.com.

“Aston Martin is surprisingly fast. So I think it’s a fight behind for P3 between Aston Martin, Mercedes, and us.”

The Austrian downplayed the idea that Aston Martin’s pace could have been deceptive — i.e. down to engine modes or fuel loads — saying that the AMR25 had looked fast on all runs.

“After Budapest, something has changed that’s really effective,” was his assessment.

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How Red Bull’s day played out

Having gone through a difficult weekend at the Hungaroring a month ago, the performance of the RB21 was brighter on the first day of the Dutch GP.

The introduction of a mildly revised front wing yielded “marginal” gains in Marko’s eyes,

While Marko bemoaned the balance of the RB21 as being the main issue preventing a stronger showing, he said there is light at the end of the tunnel.

“The harder the compound, the better we are,” he said.

“For the race, for sure, it’s a medium/hard race with one stop so our hopes are in this direction.

“I think the picture is quite clear. We have to sort out our balance problems, but Alonso looks really fast.

“Normally, it takes till Saturday until our setup is working. So let’s stay optimistic for P3. McLaren is out of range. They are faster by three or four-tenths on average.

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