Helmut Marko hopeful of “solid race without conflicts” for Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda in Montreal

Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko has shared his hopes of a "solid race without conflicts" for Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda at the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix. The Red Bull drivers finished P10 and P13 at the Spanish Grand Prix, marking a disappointing weekend for the team.

Red Bull marked their most disappointing weekend of the year so far, with Max Verstappen's late-race penalty meaning that the Austrian side only scored one point at the Spanish Grand Prix. Yuki Tsunoda struggled all week, and was on course to finish the race outside of the points anyway, after starting from the pitlane.

While Red Bull were expected to be competitive in Barcelona due to the characteristics of the circuit, which has a number of fast corners, the warm temperatures proved to be a hindrance for the Austrian side. But noise from inside the Milton Keynes-based outfit has suggested that Red Bull are hoping to be more competitive come the Canadian Grand Prix.

Speaking to Talk und Sport, Red Bull senior advisor, Helmut Marko, mentioned that he hopes for a decent outing for the team in Montreal:

"I especially hope that our car will be competitive again, and I hope for cooler temperatures, which may well be the case in Canada." [via RacingNews365 Netherlands]

"Unfortunately, Canada has no or hardly any fast turns. But maybe we can adjust the car so that it falls into the right work window. But I hope above all for a solid race without conflicts," he added.

Marko also mentioned that while warmer temperatures used to be optimal for Red Bull in the past, they are no longer able to thrive in such conditions. They now expect to be more competitive to McLaren in cooler conditions, like are expected in Canada.

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Helmut Marko addresses Ralf Schumacher's Max Verstappen exit clause theory

Max Verstappen after the Spanish Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Helmut Marko has rubbished Ralf Schumacher's claims that Max Verstappen may have crashed into George Russell at the Spanish GP to trigger a rumored Red Bull exit clause. Speculation suggests the clause is only active if Verstappen is outside the top three in the 2025 drivers' standings by the summer break.

Speaking to Austrian outlet, OE24, Marko reacted to Schumacher floating the theory following the Spanish GP, branding it as "nonsense".

"I don't know where he said that nonsense. But Max could arrange that in a much more elegant way," said Marko.

"The next time I meet him, I'll tell him," he added.

Verstappen is still third in the drivers' standings following the Spanish GP, but is now 49 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri. The driver is still over a race win ahead of George Russell in P4 though, even after the Briton finished fourth in Barcelona.