Red Bull 'amazed' by F1 rival who has emerged as Max Verstappen's biggest threat

Red Bull were left "amazed" as Lando Norris emerged as the unexpected rival to Max Verstappen during his triumph at the Chinese Grand Prix.

The energy drink-backed team has been a powerhouse in Formula 1, consistently leading the pack. However, the battle for supremacy behind them has been anything but predictable, with the pecking order shifting frequently throughout the previous season. This year has seen a bit more consistency, with Ferrari establishing themselves as the primary challengers early on, while McLaren holds a solid third place. Mercedes, surprisingly only the fourth quickest, is feeling the heat from their customer team Aston Martin.

Yet, it was in Shanghai where Ferrari's pace faltered, allowing Norris to claim an impressive second place, surpassing both Ferrari drivers and Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez. Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko shared his astonishment in his Speedweek column. Marko noted: "Behind Red Bull Racing we experience ups and downs between the pursuers. That pleases me. Because that means that our lead increases if someone else constantly finishes behind us.", reports the Mirror.

"In China we were amazed that this time Lando Norris was the second force with McLaren. We expected Ferrari to be stronger. But neither in the long runs nor in qualifying nor in the races were they able to get close to the top three."

Helmut Marko has singled out Lando Norris as the standout non-Red Bull driver on the F1 grid, excluding his own team's drivers. He said: "If we ignore the Red Bull drivers for a moment, Lando Norris makes a great impression of the other drivers, who has a clearer grip on Oscar Piastri at McLaren than last year."

He also praised Carlos Sainz, noting: "Then comes Carlos Sainz, who