Red Bull “expect a lot” from Imola upgrade in warning to F1 rivals

Red Bull are set to boosted by an upgrade package at this weekend’s F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has confirmed the RB20, which has won four of the six races so far this year in the hands of Max Verstappen, will be updated at the next race at Imola.

It comes after Red Bull suffered just their second defeat of the season, with McLaren’s Lando Norris brilliantly holding off Verstappen to secure his maiden grand prix victory in Miami.

But Marko has issued a warning to Red Bull’s rivals, stating he has high expectations for the team’s latest upgrade.

"I'm not worried because [Lando] Norris is more than 50 points behind [Max Verstappen]," Marko told Austrian broadcaster oe24.

"Besides, we are bringing an upgrade to Imola, which I expect a lot from. But Miami shows that we need to concentrate on the sporting side of things.”

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner revealed that Verstappen suffered “quite a lot of damage” to his car after hitting a bollard during the Miami race.

Marko downplayed the impact of the damage, conceding Red Bull were just “too slow” on the day. The 81-year-old Austrian also suggested Norris would have struggled to win without a timely Safety Car intervention which swung the race in his favour.

"We were just too slow," he contended. "Max believes it wasn't that serious. The fact is that we were slower than McLaren.

"Norris would have had a hard time closing the gap behind Max, and overtaking in Miami is also very difficult.

“But now it is to be feared that Lando [Norris] will become even more dangerous for him on the track. Because the pressure is off now."