Marko has 'great concern' over Verstappen future

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Venue: Jeddah Dates: 18-20 April Race start: 18:00 BST connected Sunday

Coverage: Live power commentary of practice, qualifying and title online and BBC 5 Sports Extra; unrecorded matter updates connected nan BBC Sport website and app

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko says he has "great concern" astir Max Verstappen's early pinch nan squad successful nan discourse of their existent struggles.

The four-time champion vanished sixth in nan Bahrain Grand Prix connected Sunday, while Oscar Piastri scored McLaren's 3rd triumph successful 4 races truthful acold this year.

Dutchman Verstappen is 3rd successful nan drivers' championship, 8 points down leader Lando Norris of McLaren.

Marko told Sky Germany: "The interest is great. Improvements person to travel successful nan adjacent early truthful that he has a car pinch which he tin triumph again.

"We person to create a ground pinch a car truthful that he tin conflict for nan world championship."

Verstappen has a statement pinch Red Bull until 2028. But Marko told BBC Sport this period that it contains a capacity clause that could let him to time off nan team.

The wording of this clause is not known publically but it efficaciously says that Red Bull person to supply Verstappen pinch a winning car.

Verstappen won nan Japanese Grand Prix a week earlier Bahrain but that triumph was founded connected a rod position thigh that galore F1 observers regarded arsenic one of nan top of each time.

Because overtaking was adjacent to intolerable astatine Suzuka, Verstappen was capable to clasp backmost nan McLarens of Norris and Piastri and return his first triumph of nan year.

Verstappen has qualified third, 4th and seventh for nan different 3 races successful Australia, China and Bahrain.

The Red Bull is connected mean complete each qualifying sessions this twelvemonth nan 2nd fastest car but 0.214 seconds a thigh slower than nan McLaren.

Verstappen has complained each twelvemonth astir equilibrium problems pinch nan Red Bull, which is unpredictable connected area introduction and has mid-corner understeer.

Red Bull squad main Christian Horner admitted aft nan title successful Bahrain that nan car's equilibrium problems were fundamentally akin to nan ones that made nan 2nd half of past twelvemonth a struggle for Verstappen.

He won conscionable doubly successful nan last 13 races of past season, but managed to triumph his 4th world title because of nan immense lead he built up erstwhile Red Bull were successful ascendant shape successful nan first 5 races of nan season.

Horner besides said nan squad were having difficulties pinch relationship betwixt their upwind passageway and on-track performance. Essentially, nan car performs otherwise connected way than nan team's simulation devices opportunity it should.

Verstappen had a difficult title successful Bahrain including delays astatine some pit stops, 1 pinch nan pit-lane postulation ray strategy and 1 pinch fitting a beforehand wheel.

At 1 shape he was moving last, and he managed to snatch sixth spot from Alpine's Pierre Gasly only connected nan past lap.

Verstappen said that nan basking upwind and unsmooth way aboveground had accentuated Red Bull's problems.

He said: "Here you conscionable get punished a spot harder erstwhile you person large equilibrium issues because nan Tarmac is truthful aggressive.

"The upwind is besides rather precocious and nan way has rather debased grip, truthful everything is highlighted more.

"Just nan full play struggling a spot pinch brake emotion and stopping power, and too that besides very mediocre grip. We tried a batch connected nan set-up and fundamentally each of it didn't work, didn't springiness america a clear guidance to activity in."

Verstappen has said this twelvemonth that he is "relaxed" astir his future.

Any determination astir moving teams for 2026 is analyzable by nan truth that F1 is introducing caller chassis and motor rules that magnitude to nan biggest regularisation alteration successful nan sport's history, and it is intolerable to cognize which squad will beryllium successful nan champion shape.

But it is wide accepted successful nan paddock that Mercedes are looking nan champion successful position of motor capacity for 2026.

Mercedes F1 leader Toto Wolff has made nary concealed of his desire to motion Verstappen.

The 2 parties had talks past play but person yet to person immoderate discussions this play astir nan future.