Red Bull Racing is set to introduce further upgrades in both Austria and Silverstone in an effort to close the gap to McLaren. According to Helmut Marko, this development package likely represents the team’s last real opportunity to rejoin the championship battle before halting the RB21’s development and shifting focus to the 2026 project.
There are currently 43 points separating Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen in the drivers’ standings. The Dutch driver managed to recover some ground in Canada after losing points in Spain due to a penalty following his collision with George Russell, which dropped him to tenth place.
So far, Verstappen’s driving, a RB21 able to capitalize on favourable tracks, and a McLaren that has not always been flawless, have helped contain a gap that could have otherwise grown significantly. But as the season nears its halfway point, it is clear that Red Bull will need something extra to challenge and stop McLaren.
The MCL39 has proven to be the car to beat. Even though it does not have a dominant advantage everywhere, in Canada—the first race without a McLaren podium—it still showed strong versatility. While other teams struggled to get close to third place on unfavourable tracks, McLaren remained in the fight for a podium until the closing laps.
That adaptability is its biggest strength, allowing it to win by over half a minute on friendly circuits, such as in Miami, while still being competitive on less suitable tracks. This makes McLaren the clear favourite for both world championships. Red Bull, however, is not ready to give up. As confirmed by Marko, a new package of technical upgrades will arrive for the Austrian and British Grands Prix.
The Milton Keynes-based team has gradually introduced updates to the floor, sidepods, and front wing over the weekends in Miami, Imola, and Barcelona. The latest refinements to the 2025 car will be brought to Red Bull’s home race in Austria, with the full package completed the following week at Silverstone.
Helmut Marko told Kleine Zeitung that updates will be introduced in Austria and then refined for Silverstone, admitting that this development package might be Red Bull’s last shot. Although there is still over half a season remaining, the team will soon stop developing the RB21 to concentrate on 2026.
He explained that if these upgrades fail, it will become very difficult to stay in the championship fight, which is already extremely challenging. There is a strict allocation for wind tunnel usage and other tools, and at some point, he noted, the team will have to say, “That’s it for development,” due to time constraints in part production and the cost cap.
While some midfield teams have already shifted focus to 2026, for the front-runners, June—or at the latest July—is typically the moment when focus transitions to the following season, with engineers initiating the final development steps.
Helmut Marko pointed out that the key question now is how to allocate resources, and he expects a full switch to the new car after Silverstone or Spa at the latest. On average, Red Bull still trails McLaren by a margin that will be hard to erase, but the goal is at least to close the gap. The team had hoped to do so with the package introduced at Imola, which was supposed to give the RB21 the tools to fight consistently.
While the catch-up has not yet materialized, Marko believes it’s not impossible for Red Bull to recover around three tenths per lap against McLaren. But time is running out. Looking ahead to Red Bull’s home race at the Red Bull Ring, he stated that Max Verstappen has won there five times and the track suits him well.
Marko noted that Red Bull is not alone in facing tyre issues—everyone apart from McLaren is struggling. He estimated that Red Bull is currently about three tenths behind McLaren, but operating in a much narrower window makes everything more difficult. Recovering that deficit is possible, he insisted, but it must happen now. The Red Bull advisor also emphasized that on tracks that suit the RB21, such as Jeddah or Suzuka, the car performs well—Imola and Montreal were decent too—but the overall operating window remains too narrow to be effective on every circuit.
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