Marko after Sprint Shootout in Belgium: 'Had expected Hamilton to be more up front'

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Marko after Sprint Shootout in Belgium: 'Had expected Hamilton to be more up front'
29 July 2023 at 13:58
Last update 29 July 2023 at 15:02
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  • GPblog.com

Helmut Marko sees McLaren in particular as the big competitor in the weekend's sprint race in Belgium. Max Verstappen managed to take the sprint pole on behalf of Red Bull go an exciting Q3 in which he was 11 thousandths faster than F1 rookie Oscar Piastri. Marko sees that the McLaren drivers can be dangerous.

Is McLaren the biggest rival for in the sprint race? "As it looks now, yes. Their tyre wear looks good. Ferrari has problems over race distance. I was a bit surprised that Hamilton is not further in front. But let's wait and see how the weather will be," the Red Bull advisor told Sky Sports' German branch .

Marko and Red Bull have the information they need

The 80-year-old Austrian believes all the necessary information within the team is enough. "The weekend is already more than halfway through, we have the relevant information. We are well positioned for the race," said the satisfied Marko.

Verstappen will start the sprint race from first place, while teammate Sergio Perez will start from eighth. During Sunday's race, Verstappen will start from sixth spot due to a grid penalty. Then the Mexican will start from the front row of the grid in second place.