Helmut Marko warns Red Bull “can’t win” Belgian GP if rain hits with current setup

Helmut Marko has warned Red Bull’s skinny rear wing choice could cost Max Verstappen victory at the Belgian Grand Prix if rain arrives on Sunday.

Verstappen beat the two McLarens to the sprint race victory at Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday morning.

The Dutchman capitalised on his straight-line speed advantage on the opening lap to take the lead of the race.

Verstappen retained his lead due to Red Bull’s superior straight-line speed advantage.

While Red Bull beat the McLaren duo in the sprint, it’s unlikely Verstappen can do the same in the grand prix.

McLaren will have the opportunity to use the pit stop phase to get ahead of Verstappen.

Additionally, there’s rain forecast on Sunday, which could impact teams’ setup choices.

“Yes, that was our plan, you know, after Eau Rouge to be straight behind him and overtake and then stay in the lead,” Marko said as quoted by GP Blog.

“But it was a very, very good performance from the whole team, and Max also hit two small whoppers, but also Piastri had his moments. But it worked and it showed how difficult overtaking is here.”

Red Bull will be keen to avoid the mistake they made at Silverstone.

Verstappen stormed to pole position for the British GP, running a low downforce setup.

The rain came down on race day, leaving Verstappen struggling for pace.

Verstappen was overtaken by Oscar Piastri before spinning out under Safety Car.

“So my hope for tomorrow… the weather forecast is not good. It will be difficult to find the right solution, but for sure with such a small wing we can’t win tomorrow,” Marko added.

“I think we would be fast enough, and we saw that the tyre degradation on Piastri’s car was similar or maybe even worse than on ours.

“So if it would be dry, we still see a chance.”

Verstappen has won three of the previous four races at Spa.