Helmut Marko left no room for doubt after Friday’s practice sessions in Italy: There is hope. “We are very satisfied,” the Austrian told Sky Germany – a remarkable tone compared to last year when Max Verstappen described his RB20 as ‘an uncontrollable nightmare.’
The negative mood from last year seems to have given way to optimism at Red Bull. During the longer runs, the RB21 was strong and consistent. This gives confidence for the race. According to Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, there is still room for improvement over one lap. Max Verstappen finished the second free practice with the sixth time, two-tenths off the fastest man of the day, Lando Norris. However, Verstappen was close to McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who was only 0.018 seconds faster. The gap to McLaren is therefore small – less than two-tenths. Both Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari seem very evenly matched, but Marko warns that McLaren may not have shown everything yet: “If McLaren is not throwing sand in our eyes now, it will be incredibly exciting.”
Marko clearly sees that Red Bull knows where the areas for improvement are and has confidence in the team’s ability to respond quickly where necessary. For him, it is crucial that Max Verstappen drives a flawless qualification on Saturday and that the team is strategically sharp in Q3. In this way, the team can get the most out of the car and prepare optimally for the race.
