Helmut Marko , a senior advisor for Red Bull Racing , has taken a jab at the team's recent upgrades, labeling them as "downgrades."
This remark comes in light of the RB20's underwhelming performance following a mid-season update, which has seen it struggle against competitors like McLaren's MCL35 and Mercedes' W15.
Marko is no stranger to making bold comments about Red Bull drivers, but this time, he directed his criticism at the car itself.
His concerns are valid, especially after the significant updates introduced before the Hungarian Grand Prix failed to deliver the expected boost.
Instead of dominating, the RB20 saw Oscar Piastri claim victory, while Max Verstappen finished in fifth place.
The situation didn't improve at Spa-Francorchamps, where Lewis Hamilton emerged victorious and Verstappen crossed the line in fourth.
Although Verstappen's starting position of 11th due to an engine penalty played a role, he has previously managed to win races from similar positions.
So far this season, Verstappen has won seven out of 14 races, a stark contrast to his 19 wins from 22 races last season. Marko remains hopeful about the upcoming Dutch Grand Prix, despite expressing doubts about the effectiveness of the upgrades.
He noted that qualifying will be crucial at Zandvoort, where Red Bull and McLaren are expected to be strong contenders.
The 81-year-old advisor told Kleinezeitung.at :
"I would rather call them downgrades.
"But I am optimistic. We were recently beaten well below our value. Qualifying will be particularly important in Zandvoort. Together with McLaren, we are certainly among the favorites."
At the start of the season, Red Bull showcased impressive speed, with Verstappen and Sergio Perez achieving 1-2 finishes in the first five races.
However, Perez's performance has dipped significantly since the Chinese Grand Prix, raising questions about his future with the team.
Following the Belgian Grand Prix, team principal Christian Horner emphasized the need for a detailed analysis of the data to understand the issues affecting Perez's performance.
He told RacingNews365.com :
"Checo's [Sergio Perez] had a tough run over the last few races.
"What's so confusing for us is that the season started so well with him and then tailed off.
"He did a super job in qualifying. Obviously, we need to go through and understand the issues in the race. We've got the time to do that and analyze that and work with him."
He continued:
"Starting on the front row, our objective really was - pre-race we felt that third and fifth would be achievable.
"We achieved the fifth, but we didn't achieve the third. So we obviously need to go through the data, understand where his [Perez's] loss of pace was."
Despite a promising qualifying session, where he secured pole position, Perez finished seventh in the race, leaving the team puzzled about his loss of pace.
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