Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko admitted the team was disappointed it failed to close the performance gap to rivals McLaren at the Spanish Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
The FIA introduced new front wing stiffness tests last weekend. Many teams introduced new designs in response to the rules change.<\/p>\n
However McLaren claimed pole position by their largest margin so far this season and rebuffed Max Verstappen\u2019s<\/a> attack during the race to finish first and second. Marko said Red Bull were no closer to their rivals than they were at the start of the season.<\/p>\n \u201cThe whole weekend was sobering for us,\u201d he told Red Bull-owned television channel Servus TV. \u201cWe had hoped that the new regulation \u2013 with front wings being tested at only 10 degrees of flex \u2013 would bring a noticeable improvement.<\/p>\n \u201cBut essentially, our car is just too slow. We were three tenths off the pace, which is where we were at the start of the season as well.<\/p>\n \u201cThat means everything we\u2019ve brought in the meantime hasn\u2019t changed that, or McLaren have simply continued their development \u2013 only better. And we thought we were on equal footing. So the entire weekend was disappointing for Max \u2013 and for all of us, really \u2013 because we saw once again that McLaren are clearly superior.\u201d<\/p>\n Verstappen was heading for third place before the Safety Car period was deployed with 11 laps to go. He then collected a penalty which left him 10th, his worst result of the season so far, and he now lies 49 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri<\/a>.<\/p>\n Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free<\/a><\/p>\n Marko said Red Bull\u2019s car isn\u2019t quick enough for Verstappen to win the world championship. \u201cI have to admit that openly,\u201d he said. \u201cMax is still pushing absolutely to the limit, every single lap \u2013 it\u2019s the only way. You can see that now, even Yuki Tsunoda<\/a> is struggling, just like all his team mates have before. Only Max can really get to grips with this car.\u201d<\/p>\n Red Bull dominated the 2023 championship and carried that form into the early races of last season. However over the last 12 months McLaren have overturned their advantage, and have now won eight of the last 10 grands prix.<\/p>\n Verstappen complained repeatedly about his car\u2019s handling during Sunday\u2019s race. Marko said the team has begun to make progress with its RB21 chassis. <\/p>\n \u201cOur car does now have a wider operating window,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen everything comes together, we\u2019re just as quick as McLaren. The problem is, that only happens for us every third or fourth race \u2013 McLaren are always competitive.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, right now, if we don\u2019t fix these weaknesses soon, the gap will become a serious issue. I think it\u2019s about 49 points at the moment. But we had something similar with Sebastian [Vettel] in 2013 \u2013 I believe it was around 47 points behind Alonso, and we managed to turn that around.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not giving up yet \u2013 but it\u2019s going to be difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n