McLaren’s grip loosens as rivals close in at Monza

The Italian Grand Prix weekend opened with rare signs that McLaren may no longer be comfortably out of reach.

Lando Norris, locked in a title fight with teammate Oscar Piastri, admitted that the pack had edged closer than usual. “For my taste, the opponents are too close to us,” he confessed.

“Normally we have a one-second advantage over everyone at this point, and now it’s tighter than I’d like. At Zandvoort we were easily quickest, which was fantastic, and here it’s the opposite.”

For Red Bull, it was an unexpected boost. Team advisor Helmut Marko, who has played down hopes of further victories in recent weeks, suddenly saw a glimmer. “McLaren doesn’t seem to have anything extra at the moment,” the Austrian observed.

Ferrari may have wound up the power for the home crowd, he suggested, while even Williams produced headline pace. “Williams is also fast, but they’re not as consistent and were inconsistent in the race simulation," said Marko.

"We’re still lacking a bit of traction, but if McLaren hasn’t pulled the wool over our eyes, it could be very exciting.”

Marko went further, praising Red Bull’s own trajectory. “This is an incredible improvement for us compared to last year. We’ve made a few updates, which are rather small, but as a package a noticeable difference. And we’ve also adopted a different philosophy with the setup. That seems to be working.”

At Ferrari, Charles Leclerc urged caution despite the team’s headline-capturing speed. “Our car here is not easy to drive,” he admitted, “but it is fast.” The Monegasque has spent the week trying to keep expectations in check amid the usual pre-Monza hype.

Yet former Racing Bulls chief Franz Tost is convinced the bigger story remains in papaya. “Verstappen is close in terms of speed, but he can’t challenge the McLarens in terms of equipment, even if it’s still mathematically possible,” he told Speed Week. “McLaren no longer has to fear any competition. Then we’ll see which of the pair prevails.”