Helmut Marko issues warning as Red Bull tries to chase McLaren in the F1 Constructors’ race

The Formula 1 grid heads to Suzuka to kick off the first triple-header of the season, a stretch that will take the teams from Japan, to Bahrain, followed by Saudi Arabia over three consecutive weeks.

For McLaren, the start to the 2025 F1 season has been close to perfect. Lando Norris captured the win at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix while Oscar Piastri took victory at the CHinese Grand Prix. Those wins have McLaren atop the Constructors’ Championship standings, giving the team three consecutive wins dating back to Norris’ win in the season finale a year ago, which clinched the 2024 title for the team.

Things are different at Red Bull.

The team is struggling with the RB21 — a “difficult car to drive” as we will discuss in a moment — and Red Bull made the first driver transfer news of the season, demoting Liam Lawson to Visa Cash App Racing Bull after just two race weekends, promoting Yuki Tsunoda ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.

But the big concern for Red Bull? Time, according to senior advisor Helmut Marko. Speaking with Austrian outlet Kleine Zeitung ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, Marko warned that the team needs to show improvement in the next few weeks, otherwise it might be too late to catch McLaren.

“They’re just like we were in 2023. With a car that performs in all conditions, in all weather conditions, and on every track,” began Marko. “In China, they faltered a bit for the first time, especially Lando Norris. But at the moment, McLaren is the absolute favorite with two strong drivers and a strong car.”

During that 2023 campaign Red Bull won all but one Grand Prix, sweeping to a dominant performance in the Constructors’ Championship race while Max Verstappen won his third consecutive Drivers’ title.

“We need to quickly deliver updates that actually work,” said Marko when asked what it would take to catch McLaren. “Of course, they come in batches, and if something doesn’t work, we have to fix it. To win the World Championship, however, these improvements definitely have to happen in the next five races, otherwise it will be too late.”

Marko also addressed the RB21, and what makes the team’s 2025 challenger “difficult” to drive.

“Certain tendencies from last year are still present this year. The RB-21 is a difficult car to drive—and not the fastest either. With Liam Lawson, we saw how difficult it is to handle this car,” said Marko. “It has a narrow working envelope, and the slightest change causes it to fall out of the working window. Over time, however, we’ll provide updates and hope that this will bring us back to the top.”

As for the much-discussed driver switch, Marko shared new insight into why the move was made, and why Tsunoda was initially passed over for the seat alongside Verstappen.

“For a long time, Yuki had the image of not performing consistently and making silly mistakes here and there. That’s what happened last year in Mexico, where the decisive phase for us began,” started Marko. “With Lawson, it was the exact opposite at first: he came on and delivered straight away, no matter how great the pressure was.

“In retrospect, however, it wasn’t the right decision.

“In general, however, a lot can be traced back to a single incident. At Silverstone, Tsunoda once drove into Pierre Gasly’s car, and parts of the cars on the track damaged the underbody of Verstappen’s car, which cost him the race,” continued Marko. “Adrian Newey was furious at the time. From that point on, Yuki was a red flag to him. But now Newey is gone, and Yuki has worked hard on himself.”

As for how Tsunoda has improved, Marko pointed to the driver’s maturity.

“Yes, absolutely. He came out of the winter break strong and delivered two great races, in which only the strategy department prevented him from achieving a better [result],” described Marko. “Yuki has changed management, he’s simply grown up—and he’s got a lot of self-confidence anyway. I heard he said he’s already expecting a podium finish in Japan. I’d be happy if Max made it onto the podium... But hey, let’s wait and see.”