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Marko: 'That's why Perez and Verstappen both had that problem'
A P2 for Max Verstappen and a P9 for Sergio Perez. It was a disappointing qualifying session at the Hungarian GP for Red Bull Racing. Team consultant Dr Helmut Marko explained what went wrong for the team and said the gap between the two drivers was not that noticeable.
Although Verstappen says that the new F1 qualifying format and the poor balance had little to do with each other, Marko seems to argue that the engineers at Red Bull had a somewhat more difficult weekend after all, as the number of metres driven during practice was lower this weekend. This was largely due to the weather, but also because the teams had to save tyres due to the new rules. Because Red Bull had brought new upgrades, it was even harder to find the right balance.
Perez will not be blamed
It was therefore not a problem that occurred only for Verstappen. Perez also struggled, and as a result, he finished only on P9. It was finally another Q3 performance for the Mexican, but it did not become a high position. Marko revealed to German Sky: "That was important for him. Especially since he had the same problems as Max. He was five tenths behind, but that's the Max factor. You can't blame Perez for that."
Marko concludes from qualifying that at least the weekend is not going to be boring: "It's not just Mercedes, Lando Norris also surprised us on this track. The biggest surprise is that suddenly there are also two Alfa Romeo's in the lead. So we can no longer talk about boring races."
Ricciardo confirms good choice by Red Bull
Finally, Marko talks about Daniel Ricciardo's qualifying. The team's latest drastic choice to sideline Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri, and install reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo in his place, seems to be working. Marko: "He was surprisingly strong. He got to P13. It creates a boost in the team. We planned it that way and that's why the choice was right."
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