Max Verstappen’s victory in Monte Carlo, in which Lewis Hamilton finished seventh, broke the battle for the championship and moved the Dutchman to the top of the overall standings.
And on a weekend when Red Bull did everything right, Mercedes had a more troubled time.
Hamilton got stuck in traffic behind Pierre Gasly, and a failed underride strategy allowed both Sebastian Vettel and Sergio Perez to skip him into the pit stops.
Valtteri Bottas also had to end the race when a tire change went wrong and the right front wheel nut could not be removed from his car.
Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko expects that the mistakes that Mercedes has made can be nullified – and that his team cannot slack off in the attack.
About the race from Mercedes to Sky Deutschland, Marko said: “I was surprised that Hamilton drove behind Gasly more or less without a fight. And then they attacked Bottas too.
“It shows that when the pressure is on, you make mistakes. But that also means that we keep up the pressure and load both cars as much as possible.
“And now a third brand is being added with Ferrari. That is very good for the audience, even more work for us. “
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Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said it was crucial for his team to deliver a strong result in Monaco on a weekend when Mercedes wasn’t doing so well.
“I think it was important to take our chances here,” he said. “Mercedes had a rare day off and it was important to make that happen.
“As a team we did it, and we are at the top of both championships for the first time in the hybrid era. So that’s really encouraging.
“But nobody gets carried away. There is still an awfully long way to go in this championship. But it’s very encouraging to be as close as we are in this phase. “
Horner estimated that the key for his team now was to hold the title fight until the end of the season, when it got even more intense.
“We just have to stay within striking distance until the end of the championship, and that’s when the pressure really comes on,” he said.
“Right now you are in the situation where you are running through the races and it is important to be reliable and consistent and not lose too much ground.”
Additional reporting from Christian Nimmervoll and Adam Cooper
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