After a disappointing result at last week's Mexican Grand Prix, where Red Bull’s recent upgrades failed to deliver, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko seems cautious about expecting improvements in Brazil.

In Mexico City, Red Bull’s star Max Verstappen struggled to maintain pace with the leaders but ultimately finished sixth. His race was further complicated by a collision with Lando Norris, which cost him two 10-second penalties, diminishing his chance to challenge for a podium position. 

Even without the penalties, Verstappen’s car lacked the necessary speed to catch up with the Mercedes drivers in the second half of the race. The Dutchman was even slower than Kevin Magnussen during his second stint, raising concerns about Red Bull’s ability to stay competitive in the final stretch of the season.

McLaren’s Lando Norris, meanwhile, managed to avoid any major setbacks, securing second place and reducing the gap between him and Verstappen in the championship to 47 points. 

Marko pointed out that Red Bull’s struggles last week were partly due to Verstappen’s limited practice time, caused by persistent engine issues, which will likely require new engine components and result in a grid penalty in Brazil.

“In Mexico, almost everything that could go wrong did go wrong,” he told ORF.

“The problems started on Friday of course and continued until the second practice, which ultimately yielded nothing because we could not solve the problem.”

With only four races left in the season, Marko acknowledged that Red Bull cannot afford another performance like they had in Mexico. Despite their hopes, the Austrian remains skeptical about any significant improvement at Interlagos.

“We cannot afford another race like this,” Marko told Sky Germany.

“It will certainly be very difficult, because the circuit in Brazil has very slow corners and that will also be a real problem for us.

“But Qatar is also coming up and I think we still have a chance of a victory there.”

Going into the Brazilian Grand Prix, Red Bull sits third in the Constructors' Championship, having slipped behind Ferrari last weekend. This has once again reignited discussions about Sergio Perez’s future with the team.