The Formula One grid will see a "different" Max Verstappen at the Australian Grand Prix, according to Helmut Marko.
Those are foreboding words for the two-time defending world champion's rivals, among which only his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez can be considered a serious challenger following the first two races of the season.
Red Bull claimed one-twos in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, doing so in dominant fashion as Verstappen prevailed in the season opener before Perez won from pole in Jeddah.
Verstappen recovered from 15th, his qualifying hindered by a driveshaft failure, to finish second in Saudi Arabia.
But Red Bull consultant Marko expects Verstappen to produce a stronger performance at Albert Park.
"He wasn't 100 per cent fit," Marko told F1-Insider after Verstappen had battled illness in the build up to the race.
"However, he is now doing everything he can to maximise performance next time.
"We will therefore see a different Verstappen in Australia."
While Red Bull are the clear class of the field, Mercedes remain a long way off their former glories, though boss Toto Wolff has reason for optimism following fourth and fifth-place finishes for George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in Saudi Arabia and signs of progress at their factory.
"The signs we are seeing back at the factory are promising," said Wolff. "We have got to take it step by step, though, and won't get carried away until we see performance translated into lap time on track.
"The competitive order behind Red Bull is tight, with small margins having a big effect on points scored. There remains a significant gap to the front and that is ultimately what we are interested in closing."
A Red Bull-Alonso hat-trick?
The only man who has come close to challenging Red Bull is Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, who got past Perez at the start in Saudi Arabia and briefly led.
He has back-to-back third-place finishes. If he, Verstappen and Perez share the podium again, it would be first time since 2015 with the same three drivers in the top three in the first three races of the year in Formula One (Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel).
A third straight one-two for Red Bull would mark the first time they have achieved such a feat and make them to sixth team to do so.
Piastri's progress
Oscar Piastri is the only Australian on the grid, having replaced compatriot Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren.
McLaren have yet to score a point in a difficult start to the season, but Piastri qualified an encouraging ninth in Saudi Arabia before early pit stops for front wing damage for him and team-mate Lando Norris hindered their respective races.
But his qualifying performance in Jeddah offers hope he can score his first F1 point at his home grand prix, with team principal Andrea Stella praising the rookie.
"We have seen really strong progress by Oscar," Stella told Autosport. "Obviously, Lando is a complete certainty. So we know that Lando is there.
"If you look back, already in FP1 he [Piastri] was a little bit more competitive than Bahrain, then FP2 closer, then FP3 pretty much a match for Lando, capitalising in qualifying, and then very strong in the race.
"For me, I see more the sense of constant progression, which is ultimately the plan that we have with Oscar."
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 44
2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 43
3. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) 27
4. George Russell (Mercedes) 21
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) 20
Constructors
1. Red Bull 87
2. Mercedes 41
3. Aston Martin 35
4. Ferrari 26
5. Alpine 8
McConnell confident heading into rounds three and four of Nitrocross Championship in Utah
Jamaican racing sensation Fraser McConnell is gearing up for an intense weekend of action as he heads into Rounds three and four of the Nitrocross championship on October 5 & 6 in Utah.
Following a stellar performance at the season’s opening rounds in Richmond, Virginia, McConnell holds second place in the overall standings, just 11 points behind leader Kevin Eriksson.
McConnell’s dominant showing at Richmond Raceway on September 7 & 8 saw him secure a third-place finish in Round 1, followed by a thrilling battle for first in Round 2.
After clinching the top qualifier spot and winning his semi-final, McConnell started the Round 2 final in pole position. Despite taking an early lead, a dramatic half-spin pushed him off his racing line, allowing Eriksson to take the win. McConnell finished second ahead of Viktor Vranckx.
Looking ahead to the Utah rounds, McConnell remains optimistic about his chances.
“I’m really looking forward to this weekend, going back to Utah, the birthplace of Nitrocross,” he shared.
“It all started there with the Nitro World Games in 2018 and 2019, so it's a very special place for everyone involved.”
McConnell also highlighted the challenge of the upcoming track. “Salt Lake is one of the craziest tracks on the calendar, with the biggest gap jump and a lot of demanding corners. It requires high speed from us drivers. I'll just go out there and hit my marks as usual, trying to extract as much as I can from the car while proudly repping Jamaica.”
With back-to-back podium finishes in Rounds 1 and 2, McConnell is confident about continuing his strong run.
“We’re second in the championship with 107 points, and I’m looking forward to continuing that streak this weekend,” he said.
McConnell currently leads defending champion Robin Larsson by four points and is poised to close the gap further in his pursuit of overtaking Eriksson.
McConnell's season is sponsored by JustBet, Proven, Tru Shake, Rainforest, and the Jamaica Tourist Board.
Reggae Racers Gore, Summerbell secure creditable finishes in race five of ADAC GT4 Germany series
Jamaica’s team of Tommi Gore and Senna Summerbell produced a creditable showing in the fifth race of the ADAC GT4 Germany series as they secured two top-15 finishes at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Styria, at the weekend.
The Jamaican duo, dubbed the Reggae Racers, displayed their prowess as they drove their Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Club Sport to a 14th place finish after qualifying in ninth position in race one.
They were up with the pace from a strong start but later faded down the track in a fiercely competitive field.
However, the Avia W&S Motorsport representatives improved significantly in the second race, where they went nine places better to place fifth after placing fourth in qualifying.
The team of Jan Marschalkowski and Philipp Gogollok from Eastside Motorsport, finished tops to register their first win of the series. They won ahead of Finn Zulauf and Josef Knopp, also representing Avia W&S Motorsport.
With much positive to take from their performances, Gore and Summerbell will target even more improvements in the final race of the season scheduled for October 18-20 in Hockenheim, Germany.
“I am so happy to be a part of this team and ready to end the year strong. We had a big jump in results from the start of the season with this change, so we can only expect things to get better from here,” Gore said.
The Avia W&S Motorsports team, which currently occupies second position in the team ranking on 179 points, are the defending champions in the ADAC GT4 Series. They are 11 points behind leaders Hofor Racing.
A no-brainer: Bajan sensation Zane Maloney ditches Formula 2 ambitions to take up Formula E opportunity
With opportunities at certain levels of motorsport only coming far and few in between, Zane Maloney could not pass up the chance to participate in Formula E.
As such, the Barbados racing sensation made the decision to cut short his Formula 2 campaign after securing a seat to represent team Lola Yamaha ABT in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
The event, is an open-wheel single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars. The racing series is the highest class of competition for electrically powered single-seater racing cars.
Though he currently occupies third position in the F2 drivers’ championship with two rounds remaining, Maloney, who recently inked a deal with Lola, is well aware of the significance of the Formula E opportunity presented to him and, as such, is eager to make the most of it at the expense of his F2 ambitions.
“In one way, I wanted to win Formula 2 this year. I wanted to give myself the best chance to do that, but I live my life by the day and I understand the opportunity that I have for next year, and when I think about that opportunity, everything in the present moment kind of gets forgotten about to some extent,” the 20-year-old said.
“So, of course, I know that coming to Formula E is a big opportunity for me and something amazing to show my skills in a world championship. I don’t really focus too much on the negative side of certain things. I try to focus on the positives, and I only see a positive thing coming into next year,” he added.
Maloney, who won the opening two races of the Formula 2 season, believes Formula E has gained traction as a top-notch championship, which made his decision a no-brainer.
“In F1, IndyCar, Formula E, and WEC as well, there’s not many seats that become available every year. There are a lot more drivers than there are seats, which makes it very difficult, and I think Formula E has always been a series that has amazing drivers, amazing manufacturers, and amazing teams. And of course, the media sees different motorsport genres a bit differently,” Maloney explained.
“But within the group of motorsports, Formula E is very well recognized, and every driver that goes into it knows how difficult it is to perform, so from that side of things, I don’t really focus too much on anything other than driving a race car as fast as I can with the opportunity that I’m given,” he noted.
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