Red Bull admits F1 title hopes in tatters after Max Verstappen’s Austrian GP clash

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has admitted the team's Formula 1 title hopes are "in tatters" after Max Verstappen was forced out of the Austrian Grand Prix by an opening lap collision with Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

Verstappen's retirement from the race means he now trails championship leader Oscar Piastri by 61 points with 13 races remaining.

Piastri secured second place behind his McLaren teammate Lando Norris, with the McLaren team demonstrating superior pace.

Marko expressed pessimism about Red Bull's chances of closing the deficit, stating, "With this kind of gap and unless we manage to catch up soon enough to win on merit... it doesn't look good."

He added, "Unfortunately, it's both, the time gap and the 60-point margin, which is nearly equivalent to three race wins. That's incredibly difficult to recover."

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner echoed this sentiment, describing the championship as a "two-horse race" between McLaren drivers Piastri and Norris.

"For us, we just focus one race at a time," Horner said. "We don't even think about championships, we just focus on the next race at Silverstone and what can we achieve there."

Horner acknowledged the challenges Red Bull faces under the current regulations, suggesting the team might be "compromised by some of the tools that we have." However, he remains confident in the team's ability to improve.

"It's just about working harder, because everybody's working incredibly hard. It's just working smarter. And let's see over the next few races."