F1 today | Red Bull fightback and Marko stirs the pot again

All attention is now firmly on the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Ahead of media day in Italy, there was some fighting talk from the teams, including Red Bull and McLaren. And of course, Helmut Marko stirred the pot. Here's a round up of the day's news.

Toto Wolff's overt attempts to bring Max Verstappen to Mercedes have caused some irritation to Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner during the current Formula 1 season. Helmut Marko is less concerned about the situation but stresses that without a winning car, Verstappen has the option of leaving earlier than the end date of his contract.

Marko previously indicated that he did not find it at all strange that talks took place between Verstappen and Wolff during the summer break. The Red Bull advisor stated that since almost everyone in the F1 world lives in Monaco, talks logically take place when there is no racing. Marko thinks it is only logical that Wolff made attempts to bring in Verstappen.

When George Russell signed the contract to become a Mercedes driver, he would've expected many podiums, poles, wins and perhaps even a World Championship challenge against his teammate Lewis Hamilton. None of that has (yet) materialised, but the young Brit has learned a great deal from having Hamilton as a teammate. He reveals a certain aspect which has helped him grow as a driver.

Russell feels a much more rounded driver after working alongside seven-time World Champion Hamilton for nearly three full seasons.

Lando Norris is ready to turn up the heat on Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing and continue the momentum gained from his dominant win at the Dutch Grand Prix. Norris has a slim chance of catching Max Verstappen and challenging for the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship. With nine Grands Prix remaining and three sprint races, Norris has a 70-point gap to bridge. Here's how he sees the weekend in Italy unfolding.

The past five Formula 1 races have been won by four different drivers. None of them drive for Red Bull Racing and so Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez's team have been winless since the Spanish Grand Prix. Perez looks ahead to the race weekend in Monza, where his team hopes to improve the RB20's balance.