Helmut Marko doesn’t regard the RB20 as a particularly pleasant car. The latest Red Bull vehicle has so far brought the team seven victories, although it often had to concede to the creations of McLaren and Mercedes. According to Marko, the RB20 is so unpredictable that he compares the car to ‘a beast that only Max Verstappen can tame’.
It’s been almost two months since Max Verstappen won a race; the Dutchman missed out four times in a row. Since his triumph at the GP of Spain, Mercedes has taken the win three times, and Oscar Piastri also crowned himself a race winner. According to Helmut Marko, Max’s RB20 is the culprit. The car has become increasingly unreliable over the course of the season.
Increasing Unpredictability of the RB20
“At the start of the season, the RB20 was as balanced as the current McLaren,” Marko recently told Auto Motor und Sport. “It could perform on all circuits and under all conditions. Then we took a wrong turn somewhere. The car has become a ‘bitch’ that only Max Verstappen can tame. The entire design has been made increasingly unpredictable, making it increasingly difficult to tune and balance.”
Verstappen’s Performance Despite Challenges
Despite the lack of victories, Verstappen managed to put the RB20 on pole a few times. He clocked the fastest time in Austria and Belgium. “Those were special qualifying rounds from Verstappen,” Marko complimented his driver. “In the race, that superiority was gone. Just like Mercedes at the start of the year, we are sometimes fast and sometimes slow, depending on the conditions.”
