Helmut Marko has stated categorically the planned Red Bull upgrades on the car for this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix “must work” as it comes under serious threat from F1 rivals McLaren and Mercedes.
Although Red Bull has won seven of the 12 races so far and holds comfortable leads in both the drivers’ and constructors’ standings, the RB20 has been off the pace in recent races as updates introduced at Imola in May have not worked as intended.
As a result, McLaren and Mercedes have put the team under severe pressure at a time when the challenge from Ferrari has faded since Charles Leclerc won the Monaco Grand Prix.
Heading into the Hungarian GP weekend, a race Max Verstappen has won in the previous two seasons, motorsport advisor Marko is keen to see a much-needed upgrade package brought to the car.
“The bottom line for us is that everything has to fit perfectly for us to win, there can’t be the slightest mistake,” Marko wrote in his Speedweek column.
“We were too slow on the medium tyre [at Silverstone] but thank God there will be an update in Budapest and we hope this will bring us a step forward again.
“One thing is certain, the update must work because we are currently behind McLaren on pace, and, if you look at the British GP, also behind Mercedes.
“The fact that the temperatures play a major role or that a car that is good in Barcelona can also cope well on all other tracks is a wisdom that I no longer fully believe in.
“All of this is called into question by the tyre situation. It’s obviously crucial to get into the right temperature window, but the Red Bull is still not the fastest car at the moment and we have to correct that with the update.”
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