Dr Helmut Marko has hinted that his secondary hope for the Monaco Grand Prix played out just as he predicted - all thanks to McLaren's insistence on driver equality.
Before last weekend's race, the Red Bull advisor admitted that the tight, twisty Monaco layout might not suit Red Bull's car. As a fallback, he hoped Lando Norris would at least outpace his teammate and current championship leader Oscar Piastri.
In the end, that's exactly what happened. Max Verstappen struggled to P4 both on the grid and the race, while winner Norris finished ahead of championship leader Piastri, limiting the points lost in the title battle.
"Yes, because this time Norris won and Piastri only came third," the 82-year-old told Österreich newspaper.
Unlike McLaren, where both drivers are allowed to race freely, Verstappen isn't forced to split top results with a competitive teammate. At Red Bull, he remains the undisputed lead driver.
So how long can McLaren afford to let their drivers share the spoils and risk losing the title? Marko simply smiled and replied, "Ask McLaren that."
Despite the Monaco result, morale is high in the Red Bull camp. The team's latest upgrades returned Verstappen to pole position and winning form, with Imola showing clear progress before the Monte Carlo outlier.
Verstappen left Monaco optimistic that Barcelona could mark another bounce-back weekend, and Marko agrees. "That's our hope," he said.
"Qualifying is also very important in Barcelona, because overtaking is very difficult on that track, too. If the tyres wear out, there's still a chance to overtake on the start-finish straight and the back straight."
Adding another layer of intrigue is the FIA's front wing flexibility clampdown beginning this weekend - something Marko suspects could work in Red Bull's favour.
"That's what is being said, anyway," he noted. "I'm curious to see if that's really the case."
Elsewhere, Fernando Alonso weighed in on Verstappen's championship prospects. Although currently trailing Piastri by 25 points, the Spaniard sees no reason to count the Dutchman out.
"It can't be ruled out because he's another genius of Formula 1," Alonso told El Mundo Deportivo. "We talk about Adrian Newey, who can do special things, and I think Verstappen can do that too. He's doing it this year, so you can never rule him out of the title fight.
"But yes, this fight is certainly the toughest he's been in, and McLaren is probably the favourite."
Meanwhile, Verstappen's father and co-manager Jos says the reigning champion is still content at Red Bull, meaning no immediate risk of an early contract exit.
"They must be very happy at Red Bull right now that they have him on board," Jos told De Telegraaf. "And I think they realise that too.
"He is just a very nice young man, but don't make him angry - then he can be very mean. But not when he feels that his team is doing everything it can to win. And at the moment I think he does have that feeling."
