Max Verstappen's championship lead over Lando Norris, which reduced from 57 to 47 points last week in Mexico, has taken another hit in Brazil.
Before the main qualifying session and grand prix, now both rescheduled to Sunday due to bad weather, the Red Bull driver dropped an additional 3 points after Norris took the sprint race win.
The lead now sits at 44 points.
"The positive thing is that we are back," said Red Bull team advisor Dr Helmut Marko, responding to Verstappen's podium finish in the sprint race, which was later adjusted to P4 after a virtual safety car penalty for the triple world champion.
"It was a matter of milliseconds," remarked the Austrian, "and we're only talking about a point anyway. At least the speed was clearly good and the tyre wear was very positive, so we'll take that with us for the rest of the weekend."
McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who led the sprint race from pole, complied with team orders to allow Norris maximum points. "Without the VSC at the end of the race, it would have been possible for Max to overtake Piastri," said Marko.
"Unfortunately it took too long to overtake (Charles) Leclerc, but the most important thing is that we have improved a lot since (sprint) qualifying," the 81-year-old added.
"We had the fastest car in the sprint race. We also saw that Checo (Perez) did the fastest lap of the race. For the first time in a long time, we are competitive again."
Marko expressed optimism that maintaining this pace could allow them to compete for a win, even with Verstappen's five-place grid penalty for a new power unit.
However, he admits that Red Bull is unsure about the precise reasons for their stronger form at Interlagos.
"If we knew that as well, we would be very happy," he smiled to Viaplay. "It's really small things that make a difference."
When asked about Sunday's looming morning qualifying, Marko said, "I can see Max taking pole position, and Checo making it into the top ten."
"In the grand prix, Max will win, despite the penalty, and Checo will move up to sixth or seventh place in the race."
