Red Bull currently leads the Constructors’ Championship with a slim margin of 60 points. According to Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s Technical Consultant, the upcoming sprint format of the Austrian Grand Prix could pose a challenge for the team. Despite winning seven out of ten races this season, Red Bull has faced strong competition from McLaren and Ferrari, who have been performing well. McLaren, in particular, has been stronger than Red Bull on the grid, even though Red Bull won the Spanish Grand Prix last week. Marko believes that Red Bull has been struggling with the performance of their car on specific tracks and conditions, which could affect their performance in the upcoming sprint race format.
Max Verstappen, who has been the dominant force for Red Bull this season, faces a tough challenge ahead of the race in Austria. The reigning world champions are determined to address their issues and maintain their impressive form at the Red Bull Ring. The CEO of McLaren has identified a major weakness within Red Bull that they plan to exploit in the upcoming races. McLaren has been one of Red Bull’s closest competitors this season as they seek their first championship title since 2008. Sergio Perez, who has scored only 111 points compared to Verstappen’s 219 points, has been a weak link for Red Bull. The team heavily relies on Verstappen to score the majority of the points, while other teams benefit from strong performances by both drivers.
Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren, mentioned that all teams are trying to take advantage of Red Bull’s current situation while they still have the opportunity. Brown also acknowledged that it will be extremely challenging to compete with Red Bull once Sergio Perez starts achieving consistent results. However, Perez has not been able to replicate his early performances from 2023 so far.
