has admitted that it was 'depressing' to see the true speed of 's 2025 challenger at the Miami Grand Prix. won his third successive race, and came home in second, with both drivers over 30 seconds ahead of in third. Max Verstappen, meanwhile, finished in fourth after his podium challenge was scuppered by an unfortunately timed virtual safety car.

Yuki Tsunoda struggled to make any headway following a frustrating qualifying session and was classified in P10, behind both Williams drivers. Assessing the performance with Autosport, Marko said: "The main conclusion is we are too slow. We saw when they were driving flat out, we are seven-tenths of a second behind. We saw the real speed for the first time. We have to find some performance straight away, but it was depressing how quick the McLarens really are."

Even more concerning is the upcoming upgrade package. Red Bull had been anticipating a significant leap in performance at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with their first major changes of the season, and these were said to be critical for managing Verstappen's faith in the project.

Asked if the upgrades would be sufficient to reel in McLaren's advantage, Marko's reply was unconvincing. "It has to [be]," he stated. "But such a big step is difficult to catch up."

This will be worrying news for Verstappen, and Marko made it clear after the miserable Bahrain Grand Prix ordeal that the four-time world champion needs to see improvement from the RB21 amid interest in his services from Mercedes and Aston Martin.

"The concern is great," Marko told Sky Germany in Bahrain. "Improvements have to come in the near future so that he has a car with which he can win again. We have to create a basis with a car so that he can fight for the World Championship."

The early signs for Red Bull's upgrades are not good. The Milton Keynes squad introduced a new floor in Miami, but it was difficult for Verstappen to feel the benefits of the changes to the RB21.

"If you look at the deficit, then no (there was no improvement)," he explained. "But I don't know, it's difficult to say. In any case, we keep trying to improve things. A lot of it is in tyre management, although I think we also lack pure performance. But yes, the way they manage their tires is incredible..."

Marko and Red Bull can at least take some confidence from Aston Martin's misery. Team Silverstone are Verstappen's most logical alternative for 2026, but Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso were the final two cars left running in the classification in Miami as the AMR25 took another step backwards.