Coronel quickest in WTCC FP2 in Marrakech

Red Bull has only been able to challenge for the podium at the Chinese Grand Prix so far this season, where Daniil Kvyat finished third and Daniel Ricciardo fourth despite an early puncture when leading. Renault has been talking up its next power unit upgrade - with the B-spec engine to be tested after the race in Barcelona - and Marko is hopeful wins will be possible on circuits where the power unit isn't the deciding factor.

"China was very special - a bit out of the norm," Marko told the official Formula 1 website. "Daniel (Ricciardo) had the speed, yes, and in the end we were unlucky because without his puncture he could have finished second. But don’t forget Hamilton had his issues and the two Ferraris collided at the start. That will not happen at every race unfortunately.

"Looking at the Russian weekend: the engine power is super important there - we saw in qualifying that we had dropped back a bit again. We are again in the region of the Williams.

"What we are really looking forward is the next [power unit] upgrade - how powerful it will be. We are pretty optimistic. If the figures are right it should put us back in a situation where we can win races again on circuits like Budapest and Singapore - tracks that don’t have long straights."

Acknowledging what a difference it would represent if Red Bull was to be winning races less than a year after threatening to quit the sport, Marko added: "Yes, it is. A big step. In fact, we hope to be a threat to Ferrari the rest of the season."