Red Bull upgrade confirmation in warning shot to Mercedes and McLaren

Max Verstappen and Red Bull hold a healthy lead in both championships at the halfway point of the season.

Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko confirmed the team will be bringing updates with them to the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend, with the aim of bringing the RB20 “a step forward again.”

Marko admitted the team has arguably been behind McLaren and potentially Mercedes in the competitive order at the most recent races on pure pace, and hopes this latest upgrade will redress the balance that will allow Max Verstappen to win in the fastest package once again.

Helmut Marko confirms Red Bull upgrades for Hungarian Grand Prix

Mercedes have come out on top at each of the last two Grands Prix – albeit with Verstappen and Lando Norris having made contact late on in Austria – but that run has also marked the first time Verstappen has gone two consecutive races without victory since the British and Austrian Grands Prix of 2022.

While that is a mark of just how relentlessly successful the Verstappen-Red Bull combination has been in that time since, Marko believes the team does not have the fastest car on pace alone at the moment, meaning “the slightest mistake” will allow their rivals to take victory.

But with the arrival of new parts in Hungary and a double-header ending at Spa-Francorchamps, where Verstappen is unbeaten in the last three years, Marko is hopeful about Red Bull’s chances – if the upgrade has the desired effect.

How would the World Championship standings look without Red Bull this year?

Calculated: The F1 2024 Drivers’ Championship without Max Verstappen

Revealed: The F1 2024 Constructors’ Championship without Red Bull

“The bottom line for us is that everything has to fit perfectly for us to win. There can’t be the slightest mistake,” Marko wrote in a column for Speedweek.

“We were too slow on the medium tyre, but thank God there will be an update in Budapest and we hope that this will bring us a step forward again.

“If you look at the upcoming races, you can say that Budapest is a rather slow track, and Spa is one of Max’s favourite tracks, where he has always been exceptionally good.

“One thing is certain: the update must work, because we are currently behind McLaren in the base – and if you look at the England race, also behind Mercedes.

“It’s obviously crucial to get into the right temperature window, but the Red Bull is still not the fastest car at the moment and we have to correct that with the update.”

Verstappen heads into the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend with a healthy 84-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship over Lando Norris, with Red Bull 71 points ahead of Ferrari in the Constructors’ standings.

Read next: Uncovered: New front flexi-wing designs from Mercedes and McLaren