Marko makes sensational Red Bull F1 title admission

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has remarkably conceded the team now has no chance of winning the F1 constructors’ championship this year.

The Milton Keynes-based squad was again out-scored by rivals McLaren, with Oscar Piastri taking victory around the Baku Street Circuit.

The Australian’s win, coupled with Lando Norris’ run to fourth and Sergio Perez’s non-finish, means McLaren lead the constructors’ standings by 20 points with seven races remaining.

When asked if Red Bull had given up hope of winning the constructors’ title this year, Marko replied: “To be honest, yes.”

“The positive thing is that Oscar Piastri is close to Lando Norris in terms of points and there are team orders within McLaren. Therefore, clarity will not follow so quickly.”

Norris managed to outscore Verstappen in Azerbaijan despite starting from 15th on the grid.

The gap between the pair sits at 59 points, with Marko also concerned Verstappen may lose his drivers’ crown if Red Bull fails to solve its issues with the RB20 from the United States Grand Prix onwards.

“Max couldn’t even hook it up,” he said. “The tyres failed and the temperatures of the brakes went up. The car has potential, but the setup is still very sensitive. 

“The progress will not be seen in Singapore yet. We’ll just have to see how we get through that race, but we really need to do better from Austin. 

“Otherwise the drivers’ championship will also be in jeopardy.”