Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has warned that Ferrari could pose a threat to his team in the Canadian Grand Prix, as they chase for their 100th team win in Formula 1.
Marko said that Ferrari has improved its race pace after introducing its first major upgrades at the Spanish Grand Prix, and that they looked impressive in Friday practice in Montreal.
He also said that Mercedes has become significantly faster, and that Red Bull was a bit surprised by its own performance, which was below its expectations.
Marko wary of Ferrari threat after mixed Friday in Canada
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has warned that Ferrari could pose a threat to his team in the Canadian Grand Prix, as they chase for their 100th team win in Formula 1.
Marko said that Ferrari has improved its race pace after introducing its first major upgrades at the Spanish Grand Prix, and that they looked impressive in Friday practice in Montreal.
He also said that Mercedes has become significantly faster, and that Red Bull was a bit surprised by its own performance, which was below its expectations.
FP2 Report
Max Verstappen finished sixth fastest in the second free practice session, behind both Mercedes and Ferrari drivers. He set his fastest lap on the soft tyres midway through the session, but he could not improve on his initial effort due to several red flags.
Verstappen was 0.048 seconds slower than Charles Leclerc, who was fifth fastest, and 0.225 seconds slower than Carlos Sainz, who was third fastest. He was also 0.424 seconds slower than Lewis Hamilton, who topped the session for Mercedes.
The session was interrupted by Nico Hulkenberg’s Haas experiencing a power unit problem, Esteban Ocon’s Alpine encountering a mechanical issue, and rain arriving in the final stages.
Marko’s Comments
Speaking to Servus TV after FP2, Marko said that he was worried about Ferrari’s pace, especially on the long runs.
“Mercedes has become significantly faster, but I’m afraid that Ferrari will be even stronger here – you could see that. They were out at about the same time as us and Leclerc’s long run in particular was very impressive,” he said.
Marko also said that Red Bull was feeling some extra pressure to achieve its 100th team win in Formula 1, which has been elusive since Verstappen’s victory in Monaco.
“We’re all expecting that 100th win and apparently that caused extra pressure. So that’s where we were a bit surprised that we were a bit off internally, especially in terms of handling,” he said.