Helmut Marko believes simply achieving a podium finish for Red Bull in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix would be a success as it faces a "lottery" with the RB20.
Red Bull's form has dipped alarmingly in recent races, with the team now just eight points clear of McLaren in the constructors' championship with eight rounds remaining.
Championship leader Max Verstappen has a 62-point buffer over Lando Norris, but branded his car as a "monster" and "undrivable" after a sixth-place finish last time out in Italy.
For the Azeri race, Red Bull has brought what RacingNews365 technical analyst Paolo Filisetti has described as a "patchwork" floor, but Marko fears Red Bull is well out of the question for victory in Baku.
"If things go optimally for us, a podium is perhaps possible," Marko told Kleine Zeitung.
"We have to find the balance with the car, which is especially important in Baku because there are hardly any run-off areas.
"It should be better than in Monza, but there will only be real progress in Austin."
"[Max] has seen that he is being listened to now and that the problems are being taken seriously.
"Right now, tuning the car is still a bit of a lottery, especially for Baku and Singapore."
