Piastri is racing towards the drivers' championship title - Marko

      "The Barcelona race will be crucial"

      As the upcoming triple-header nears, the battle for the 2025 world championship could be nearly settled. This perspective is shared by Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko, as quadruple world champion Max Verstappen currently sits third in the standings, trailing the two McLaren drivers. Verstappen expressed at Imola that McLaren's pace advantage of eight-tenths per lap in Miami was "depressing," especially since Red Bull has just a small car upgrade this weekend at Imola.

      "The new wing regulations, which will take effect in Barcelona, give us more hope that changes will occur," Marko told the Krone Zeitung. "That race will be critical."

      Mercedes’ George Russell concurs. "There will be a significant change there," he stated to Sky Italia. "We cannot overtake McLaren unless they take a step back, if you catch my drift. It’s evident that they excel with their flexible front and rear wings. We will find out in Spain if there’s any shift in their performance. If not, we all have reason to be concerned as they will continue to dominate."

      At McLaren, championship leader Oscar Piastri seems to have established a strong advantage over his teammate Lando Norris, having won four of the last five grands prix. "If Piastri wins the next three races, it will definitely make a preliminary determination in the championship," Marko acknowledged. "We are currently 32 points behind the leaders with Max, which is a substantial deficit."

      The Austrian expressed particular admiration for Australian Piastri’s performance so far in 2025. "Piastri has adapted incredibly quickly," he noted. "You could see that in Miami during his battle with Max. Piastri prepares thoroughly and remains tough during critical moments, while Norris tends to take a trial-and-error approach and doesn’t show the same level of consistency."