Red Bull F1 racer Daniil Kvyat hits back after Helmut Marko warning

Typically Marko pulled no punches after another below-par performance from Red Bull during the Spanish Grand Prix.

Although Kvyat and team-mate Daniel Ricciardo finished 10th and seventh respectively at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya, it was Toro Rosso pair Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr who shone over the weekend, outqualifying the senior team as they filled row three - although they were only 11th and ninth in the race.

That prompted Marko to declare to Kleine Zeitung newspaper: "Our established guys need to look out. Paradoxically, the more inexperienced ones did the better job", further describing Verstappen and Sainz as "exceptional".

With Kvyat seen as the driver most in danger of losing his seat to either Sainz or Verstappen should Red Bull opt for a change at the end of the season, the 21-year-old Russian said: "I'm not frustrated or anything.

"I'm just trying to give the team the most I can from myself. Only this will help us sort out the issues.

"I know my potential and at the moment it's enough.

"Let's see if I will be able to show it to the world one day as well."

For Kvyat that is reference to the fact he is being let down by the car, primarily via a Renault engine that has already failed on three occasions this season.

"I don't know what's going to happen at the next races," added Kvyat, ahead of this weekend's Monaco GP.

"I don't expect any miracles from anything, it's not a one-day fix, but we'll take it step-by-step and we'll see where we are in Monaco. I don't know at the moment.

"Hopefully we will get there, but we shouldn't expect massive steps. We should build things up together, as I say, step-by-step."

Although Kvyat suffered a hydraulics issue on a test outing at Barcelona last Tuesday that cost him two hours of track time, there were at least some positive signs.

"It was crucial to understand a few things and for the team to get as much data as possible," he said.

"My feedback was very important, and hopefully we learned something strong from the day.

"From Renault's side, everything was okay as far as I know. It will be important to see the same progress now in future races."