Marco: We do not think the fight for the title is over.

      Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko has published a recent column summarizing the Silverstone round, discussing new leaders of Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls, but he never once mentioned Christian Horner.

      Helmut Marko: "In Belgium, a new chapter begins for the Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls teams — with Laurent Mekies and Alian Permeyné as leaders.

      Alian, as the sporting director of Racing Bulls, was the logical choice since we didn't want to hire someone from outside. Essentially, we simply expanded his existing responsibilities.

      Laurent is perfect for the new role for the same reasons: he is from our system and has extensive experience. Thanks to his diverse work at FIA and Ferrari, he has everything needed to skillfully lead the leading team.

      Let’s recall what happened in the UK. Max Verstappen secured an incredible pole at Silverstone partly thanks to bold rear wing aero settings.

      Of course, there was intense discussion about whether such a setup was optimal for the race. At the time, we thought it was, since the forecast promised rain only in the morning, and the race was to be run on a dry track.

      The team knew this configuration was risky, but considering McLaren’s dominance, it was the only way to compete. We believed that with the high top speed from these settings, McLaren drivers would have difficulty overtaking Max.

      Unfortunately, the weather proved different, and it became clear that such settings would be difficult on a wet track. Then Max was even spun around. We are confident that if not for this mishap, he would have finished third. After the race, the team realized we had no chance against McLaren even on a dry track, but a podium was within reach.

      After switching to slicks, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris immediately posted very good times. It took Max four laps to bring the tires into the optimal working window. Then he was able to keep pace with McLaren, but lost nearly ten seconds during those four laps.

      The surprise at Silverstone: a 10-second penalty for Piastri. We’ve seen such tense situations behind the safety car before. I believe the penalty was fair, but I’d like stewards to be more consistent in their decisions.

      Fans say that a similar situation happened with Russell in Canada, but in that episode, George wasn’t penalized, while Piastri in England was. Spectators don’t understand the difference, and honestly, neither do we.

      So Max finished fifth at Silverstone, a week after retiring in Austria following a collision with Kimi Antonelli. All this makes defending his title more difficult, but we are far from abandoning hope.

      There are twelve more Grands Prix and four Sprint races ahead, which can earn 300 points in races and 32 in sprints. Considering this and the updates at the Belgian GP that should help reduce the gap from McLaren, we do not believe the championship fight is over.

      Yuki Tsunoda continues to face difficulties, but in England, we saw signs of improvement. The gap to Max in most practice sessions was smaller than before, and he managed to start eleventh.

      We discussed a lot with Yuki, and he is also working with a sports psychologist. Unfortunately, in the race, like Max, he had no chance with these settings. But we notice his progress and hope it will soon translate into points.

      Let’s talk about Racing Bulls. Liam Lawson finished an excellent sixth in Austria, and at Silverstone, he collided with Ocon. Isaac Hajar damaged his floor in Spielberg, and in Britain, he retired after a collision with Kimi Antonelli.

      Battle in the midfield is incredibly tight, and people forget that Liam and Isaac are the youngest duo in the championship. But they are strong enough to compete, and the team’s results depend not only on their form but also on strategy. Under optimal conditions, Isaac and Liam are capable of fighting at the front of the midfield, and we expect this to continue.

      F2 driver Arvid Lindblad first drove a Red Bull Racing car during practice at Silverstone. In our opinion, he performed excellently: the speed was appropriate, his comments were substantive, and the mechanics are very pleased with his work.

      After the Silverstone event, Lindblad returned to driving, completed over a hundred laps, demonstrated great physical shape, and posted a competitive lap time.

      Soon, we have a sprint event in Belgium, followed by the Hungarian GP. The Spa track should suit our car better, especially in changing weather conditions. We are optimistic.

      In Hungary, we will probably face more challenges due to the track layout and high temperatures. But we will bring updates to both races, which we hope will positively impact the car's speed.