Bad news for Max Verstappen as Helmut Marko confesses 'we still have that weakness' when talking about Red Bull's car issues

Max Verstappen's close confidante Helmut Marko has admitted that Red Bull continues to carry the weakness of being unable to ride the kerbs compared to its rivals. The Austrian team is facing an uphill task this season as it tries to fight back after losing the 2024 F1 title to McLaren.

The team started the 2024 F1 season on the front foot. The car was strong, and it helped Max Verstappen dominate the field until the race in Miami. It was in that race that McLaren introduced its major upgrade and leapfrogged the Austrian team. From that point onwards, both teams went in opposite directions in terms of performance, and the Woking-based squad eventually picked up its first title in the 21st century.

Talking to AMuS about the team's struggles, Red Bull's Helmut Marko shared that the team had identified the issue with being unable to ride the kerbs as early as 2023. That was the reason why Verstappen had to pull out a brilliant lap in Monaco that season, while in Singapore the team would pick its only loss. That problem exacerbated in 2024 when the rivals caught up and continued to improve in this aspect.

While Helmut Marko was positive about the team's overall improvement, he conceded that this kerb-riding weakness persisted, a point of concern for Max Verstappen. He said,

"We were dominant in the first five races up to China. And then came this slump. That's when the car's weaknesses became apparent. We already knew one from 2023, the year in which we won almost everything. Our drivers couldn't rip the curbs like their colleagues from Ferrari or McLaren, for example. That was evident in Monte Carlo and also in Singapore, where we lost our only race."

He added,

"We still have that weakness. But it's slowly getting better. Last year, we also had these extreme wobbles. The underbody is extremely critical on these cars. If even the smallest thing is wrong, you're already half a second slower. We were either capable of winning, or we didn't even make it onto the podium. That seems to be under control now. It looks like we're no longer having those total crashes. I'm optimistic that we can make the underbody work as it is now with adaptations. This would narrow the gap again."

Max Verstappen's close confidante sounds off on the budget cap

Helmut Marko also sounded off on the budget cap as he explained that this was something that had proven to be a major impediment to the team. Talking about how every failed upgrade is problematic and how McLaren seems to be very efficient on this front, Marko said,

"The budget limit is a huge problem. We have over 40 people in the finance department. If our technical director, Pierre Waché, wants something, he has to speak to them first. Then they do the math. How much does it cost? Can we afford it? Is this investment justifiable?"

He added,

"The more inefficient you are, the greater the impact. An upgrade that doesn't work is money wasted in two ways. Because you're lacking it elsewhere in development. McLaren is incredibly strong in this area. Every upgrade works there. And this efficiency pays off elsewhere."

The 2025 F1 season will see Max Verstappen try and emulate what Michael Schumacher did when he won 5 world titles in succession. It's going to be tough but one cannot rule the Dutch driver out of contention just yet.