Red Bull came into their home Grand Prix in Austria hoping to close the gap in the drivers’ championship standings with Max Verstappen, buoyed by five previous wins on the team-owned Red Bull Ring.
But the race weekend turned into a disaster. Max Verstappen was taken out in Turn 3 on the opening lap after a reckless move from Andrea Kimi Antonelli, which forced the Dutchman to retire before completing a single lap. Meanwhile, McLaren secured a dominant one-two finish, pushing Max Verstappen 61 points behind Oscar Piastri in the standings, making his title challenge even more difficult.
There was no consolation from the other side of the Red Bull garage either, with Yuki Tsunoda finishing 16th and last, two laps down, after receiving a 10-second time penalty.
Helmut Marko disappointed after Red Bull’s worst day of the season
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko didn’t hide his frustration when speaking to Sky Deutschland: “Kimi came out of nowhere and hit us straight on with locked tyres. According to our data, we could have fought for the podium. Mercedes wasn’t fast, and even Ferrari didn’t seem that strong. McLaren, on the other hand, was untouchable — we didn’t see them again after the start. At the start you can take risks, but you also have to be prepared for someone behind you doing something stupid.”
Helmut Marko then admitted that Red Bull’s hopes of defending the championship now hang by a thread: “This is a black day, the gap is almost impossible to recover. Unless something extraordinary happens, we have to assume the world championship is over.” – the Red Bull advisor concluded at the end of the Austrian Grand Prix.
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