Helmut Marko claims Austrian GP Sprint format could ‘make life difficult’ for Red Bull

Red Bull is leading the Constructors Championship only by a margin of 60 points.

Helmut Marko claims Austrian GP Sprint format could ‘make life difficult’ for Red Bull

Helmut Marko and RB20 (via IMAGO)

Red Bull Technical Advisor, Helmut Marko has claimed that the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix sprint format could be a hindrance along the path of the Milton-Keynes outfit. Red Bull currently leads the championship and has won seven out of ten races this season.

The Austrian outfit started the campaign on a strong note but has been challenged by the likes of McLaren and Ferrari, who have been on a strong run. Despite winning the Spanish Grand Prix last week, McLaren was one of the better teams on the grid than Red Bull, who have been unable to start on pole since the previous three races.

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Helmut Marko argued that since the past few races, Red Bull has required all three practice sessions to get a proper feel for the car, which has been struggling under specific tracks and conditions. Marko, therefore, concluded that if such problems persist, the RB20 will face difficulty in the sprint race format of this week’s event.

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We have always needed all three practice sessions to get the car somewhat balanced, and if this problem persists, it could make life difficult for us.
Helmut Marko via speedweek

Max Verstappen has been a dominant force again this season, winning all of Red Bull’s races, but he faces a tough challenge ahead of the race in Austria. The reigning world champions will look to curb their issues in time to continue their solid run of form at the Red Bull Ring.

Zak Brown reveals key Red Bull weakness ahead of Austrian GP

McLaren CEO, Zak Brown has revealed a major weakness within Red Bull, which the Papayas look to exploit wholly during the coming races. The Woking-based outfit has been one of the closest competitors with Red Bull this campaign as they chase for a championship title for the first time since 2008.

Zak Brown and Red Bull
Zak Brown and Red Bull (via IMAGO)
Ferrari is definitely within reach but so is Mercedes and Red Bull, if Perez picks up the pace, then they’ll be very hard to compete [against]. So I think we got it to kind of take advantage of the fact that at the moment, Max is at the front and Sergio is running in the points. That might give us an ability to claw into that lead a bit.
Zak Brown via SkySportsF1

Sergio Perez has been a weak link for Red Bull this campaign, scoring only 111 points compared to Max Verstappen, who stands at the top of the championship with 219 points. Perez’s underperformance has been a constant hindrance to the Milton-Keynes outfit, as they rely on only a single driver to score the bulk of the points while other teams exploit maximum scores out of both their pilots.

Zak Brown has therefore said that all the teams are trying their best to take advantage of the current scenario at Red Bull while they still can improve in the championship. Brown also asserted that Red Bull will be almost impossible to compete with when Sergio Perez starts putting in solid results, which is a feat that the Mexican has not been able to replicate since early 2023.

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