Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko admitted the team was disappointed it failed to close the performance gap to rivals McLaren at the Spanish Grand Prix.
The FIA introduced new front wing stiffness tests last weekend. Many teams introduced new designs in response to the rules change.
However McLaren claimed pole position by their largest margin so far this season and rebuffed Max Verstappen’s attack during the race to finish first and second. Marko said Red Bull were no closer to their rivals than they were at the start of the season.
“The whole weekend was sobering for us,” he told Red Bull-owned television channel Servus TV. “We had hoped that the new regulation – with front wings being tested at only 10 degrees of flex – would bring a noticeable improvement.
“But essentially, our car is just too slow. We were three tenths off the pace, which is where we were at the start of the season as well.
“That means everything we’ve brought in the meantime hasn’t changed that, or McLaren have simply continued their development – only better. And we thought we were on equal footing. So the entire weekend was disappointing for Max – and for all of us, really – because we saw once again that McLaren are clearly superior.”
Verstappen was heading for third place before the Safety Car period was deployed with 11 laps to go. He then collected a penalty which left him 10th, his worst result of the season so far, and he now lies 49 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri.
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Marko said Red Bull’s car isn’t quick enough for Verstappen to win the world championship. “I have to admit that openly,” he said. “Max is still pushing absolutely to the limit, every single lap – it’s the only way. You can see that now, even Yuki Tsunoda is struggling, just like all his team mates have before. Only Max can really get to grips with this car.”
Red Bull dominated the 2023 championship and carried that form into the early races of last season. However over the last 12 months McLaren have overturned their advantage, and have now won eight of the last 10 grands prix.
Verstappen complained repeatedly about his car’s handling during Sunday’s race. Marko said the team has begun to make progress with its RB21 chassis.
“Our car does now have a wider operating window,” he said. “When everything comes together, we’re just as quick as McLaren. The problem is, that only happens for us every third or fourth race – McLaren are always competitive.
“So, right now, if we don’t fix these weaknesses soon, the gap will become a serious issue. I think it’s about 49 points at the moment. But we had something similar with Sebastian [Vettel] in 2013 – I believe it was around 47 points behind Alonso, and we managed to turn that around.
“We’re not giving up yet – but it’s going to be difficult.”
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2025 Spanish Grand Prix
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