"I’m sick of his nonsense": Fans react to Red Bull's Helmut Marko claiming a Max Verstappen podium is the target for the F1 Spanish GP

Some F1 fans on social media were left raging after Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko claimed that the team was targeting a podium with Max Verstappen for the Spanish GP on Sunday (June 1). The Dutch driver once again showed his unreal capability in a tricky RB21, as he managed to secure a P3 finish in the qualifying session and was a couple of hundredths behind McLaren driver Lando Norris.

The 27-year-old had a lot of pressure on his shoulders going into the final push lap of the Q3 session as he found himself outside of the top five and over half a second behind the pole position time of the British driver. However, he managed to put in an excellent lap during the final minutes of the Q3 session, which coincidentally matched the lap time set by Mercedes driver George Russell.

But speaking to Sky Deutschland, Marko was pessimistic about the team's chances in the main race with Max Verstappen and said:

"The balance was more satisfying this time. It's just that the softer the tyres and the higher the temperatures, the less grip we have. And how do you solve that? I don't know yet. But overall, we've come a step closer to McLaren. We can't be optimistic for the race... But a podium should at least be possible."

But the Austrian's comments did not sit well with the fans, who shared their reactions on X, with one fan claiming:

"I’m sick of his nonsense, it’s utter waffle every time he opens his mouth instead of stating what we all know to be true - RBR have no idea how to close that gap and relying on the “Max Factor” isn’t enough against those McLaren rocket ships. Embarrassing fall off from RBR."

"'Goal is to be only 25 points behind McLaren by Spain'. So I guess the new goal is to only be 50 behind by summer break?"

"Helmut Marko should keep shut up for a month," said a fan.

Here are some more reactions:

"This is depressing," wrote a fan.

"P3 means losing more points to McLaren rather than catching up," pointed out another.

"Helmut yapping!!!" claimed another.

Max Verstappen is currently 25 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri and 22 points behind Lando Norris.

Max Verstappen cheekily reveals his plans for Spanish GP main race

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen stated that it was his "time to shine" as he revealed that he would go three wide into Turn 1 alongside the McLaren duo starting ahead of him.

In the post-qualifying press conference, the Dutchman reflected on his plan:

"I think it's time to shine in Turn 1, yeah. Make it three-wide for the pictures. Why not? I don't know. Honestly, I think looking at pace, it will be tough."

"It’s not all about the start and Turn 1. You need to be good on tyres. It’s a long race. A lot can happen. So, I’ll just try to maximize what I got."

Max Verstappen will be bidding to make it four race wins in a row in Barcelona on Sunday and will look to close the gap in the title race as well.