Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has conceded that the team’s struggles in Formula 1 are “starting to get serious” amid a disastrous qualifying at the Italian Grand Prix.
The Austrian squad endured a new low at Monza as Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez went slower in the last segment than Q2 to wind up locking out the fourth row.
Red Bull arrived at Monza optimistic that an experimental weekend in Zandvoort had helped to cure the balance issues the side has been encountering with its RB20.
Red Bull’s woes were compounded as McLaren locked out the front row to be well-poised to eradicate the 30-point gap that exists in the Constructors’ Championship.
Marko has admitted that Red Bull’s troubles have become so pronounced that it can no longer be reliant on Verstappen to deliver better results than the car deserves.
“We have to find the moment when we took the wrong turn,” Marko told Sky Sports Germany.
“Then you have to look at Miami, because at that time we were still dominant. The races Max won after that, he won because of his qualities.”
Both Perez and Verstappen have been adamant that Red Bull has gone down the wrong avenue with car development – a claim that boss Christian Horner has denied.
However, Red Bull’s strive to improve how competitive its package is with upgrade packages has coincided with Verstappen’s complaints over how the RB20 handles.
With several teams coming across unexpected tribulations with new parts in this ruleset, Marko has acknowledged that Red Bull has an uphill task to solve its issues.
“But with the complexity of these cars, it becomes very difficult,” Marko added.
“Thank God we have some time towards the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, because now it was practically impossible to implement anything. But the situation is starting to get serious.”
Looking ahead to the Italian GP, McLaren and Red Bull ending the race in the positions their drivers will start would see the Woking-based squad claim the points lead.
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