Marko joins Jos Verstappen and demands "quality" from Horner

The story is familiar: Lando Norris won with a lead of almost 23 seconds over Max Verstappen at Zandvoort. McLaren were previously beaten by the three-time world champion by tens of seconds in Grands Prix. Red Bull Racing's lead has completely evaporated and so there is work to be done. Both Formula 1 world titles are now in jeopardy.

Marko reacts to Jos Verstappen statements

Speaking to Krone Zeitung, a diplomatic Marko tries to calm tempers somewhat. "Jos is Jos. He is just an emotional guy and made his statements without analysing them properly. But you shouldn't take it too hard either," said the team adviser of the Austrian formation. "We have scored some unfortunate results recently and have been beaten at times. We had the wrong set-up at Zandvoort, but clearly, we are feeling the pressure, we need to improve and the updates should have an effect."

So it is all hands on deck at Red Bull Racing. Verstappen has already failed to win five races, for Sergio Perez's last podium finish, we even have to go back to the Chinese Grand Prix, the fifth race of this season. The RB20 is not as competitive as hoped.

Marko also thinks Horner should step up

So while Marko may find Jos' public statements a bit awkward, he seems to agree with the reading of Max's father. "Team boss Horner has to show quality. Covering things up will not help us in this situation." Surely that is suspiciously similar to what Jos said last week: "Not everything has to be covered up". And whether Horner can initiate a turnaround: "It will surprise me, but at the moment I say no. A lot has to happen. The whole spirit has to change."

Still, the man from Graz is positive about Red Bull's CEO and team boss afterwards. "But: even Horner now admits mistakes. We took a wrong turn somewhere in terms of the balance of the car. But we are not the only ones, it has also happened at Ferrari and Mercedes. Only McLaren was spared. Every upgrade worked. We are self-critical, but we have a lot of good people who can turn things around."

Chances of World Championship title

McLaren immediately managed to narrow the gap towards their Milton Keynes rivals in the constructors' championship after the summer break. The gap is now just 30 points. For several weekends in a row, the margin has been getting smaller and smaller and so Red Bull does not seem to be in good shape when it comes to winning their third constructors' title in a row. Still, thanks to Perez's P6 at Zandvoort, there is confidence in a good outcome. "If Checo continues like this, we still have our sights set on the title," Marko concludes.

This article has been written in collaboration with Matt Gretton