Helmut Marko sets Red Bull deadline on when it will be ‘too late’ for Max Verstappen to catch McLaren

Max Verstappen is facing his toughest title defence at Red Bull in the 2025 Formula 1 season.

The Dutchman has been almost unstoppable during the 2020s, winning the last four titles on the spin. He is looking to become only the second driver to win five consecutive championships in 2025.

However, Verstappen has admitted his title defence will be difficult this year. Red Bull have regressed over the last few months while McLaren have taken a clear step forward.

Verstappen held on to the 2024 title after a late charge from Lando Norris, thanks to his seven wins from the opening 10 races. Now, McLaren have the upper hand in development and have used it to claim victory in the opening two races in Melbourne and Shanghai.

The RB21 have proven a difficult car to drive, evidenced by Liam Lawson being dropped after two races for not reaching Q2 in any qualifying session thus far. As usual, Verstappen maximised the most of the car to finish second in Australia and P4 in China.

The Dutchman is eight points behind Norris, having lost his championship lead for the first time since the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix. There are plenty of races remaining for Verstappen to win the title, but Helmut Marko has stressed they have limited time to close the gap.

Helmut Marko says Red Bull have five races to bring updates to the RB21 before it’s ‘too late’ to catch McLaren

Red Bull have arguably the fourth-fastest car at the moment, with McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari boasting faster and smoother packages to handle.

Marko thought McLaren were two to three tenths ahead of Red Bull after pre-season testing in Bahain. Verstappen thinks Marko underplayed that gap, believing the Milton Keynes outfit are actually further behind.

This was proven at the Chinese Grand Prix as the 27-year-old finished over 16.5 seconds behind winner Oscar Piastri. It seems Marko has realised the alarming gap between Red Bull and McLaren, as the Austrian stressed the former must act fast.

Speaking with Kleine Zeitung, the Red Bull chief advisor says updates to the RB21 ‘definitely have to happen in the next five races’. If they do not, it could be ‘too late’ to catch their rivals.

He said: “We need to quickly deliver updates that actually work. 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.

“They’re [McLaren] just like we were in 2023. With a car that performs in all conditions, in all weather conditions, and on every track. 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.”

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Max Verstappen is clearly frustrated with Red Bull

The four-time champion knows he does not have the fastest car on the grid, hence why he is keeping his cards close to his chest in 2025. Verstappen has ‘flabbergasted’ the Dutch press with his answers in the media pen, suggesting he is frustrated with the team’s trajectory.

Rather than address the issue with the car, Red Bull have taken out Lawson for the Japanese Grand Prix, with Yuki Tsunoda replacing him. While the team did the move to protect the New Zealander, it has not impressed their star driver.

Marko admitted Verstappen did not agree with dropping Lawson as he felt the 23-year-old’s performances would improve if the car was better.

The Dutchman made his feelings clear on social media by liking Giedo van der Garde’s Instagram post calling Lawson’s dismissal ‘bullying’. Verstappen’s reaction was ‘painful’ to Red Bull but it was a clear indication that the four-time champion is discontent with the team’s current status.