26/08/2025 08:20
Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer has dismissed Red Bull as a "big
threat" to McLaren, declaring that all of the top teams are
"falling away" from the Woking-based outfit. McLaren has dominated
the 2025 F1 season and currently holds a staggering 299-point lead
over Ferrari in the constructors' championship. The British squad
looks set to defend its crown with ease, while Oscar Piastri leads
team-mate Lando Norris by nine points in the drivers' championship.
Max Verstappen had been McLaren's biggest concern in the early
rounds, following impressive victories in Japan and Imola. However,
the four-time world champion has now slipped 97 points behind
Piastri, prompting Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko to rule
the Dutchman out of the title fight. Mercedes and Ferrari have
occasionally challenged McLaren, but Verstappen had been their most
consistent threat. Palmer no longer sees that as the case this year
and expects yet another comfortable one-two finish for McLaren at
this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix. Asked on the F1 Nations podcast if
a fight for the win between the McLarens should be expected in
Zandvoort, Palmer said: "I think we have to, don't we? Every race
now is becoming more and more dominated by McLaren. I think the
rivals are generally falling away. "Red Bull are dropping a long
way, I think, at the moment, and I don't see that changing too much
for the next few races. And they were the big threat, really early
on. "You had the odd Mercedes decent performance. You had Ferrari
very occasionally getting in the mix. Obviously, Leclerc is off the
back of a pole position [in Hungary]. "But in terms of consistency
in qualifying and the race, the two McLarens have an advantage, and
I'd be quite surprised if they're not one and two again in
Zandvoort."
