Marko teases competition: 'Updates? I don't see anything on the stopwatch'

Every race, teams announce updates on the cars. Sometimes small, sometimes big. In the case of Mercedes and Ferrari, quite a few things have been tweaked in recent weeks. All with the aim of approaching and eventually passing Red Bull Racing. Spain proved not for the first time this season, that the road to the top is tricky, as Max Verstappen was once again much faster than the competition.

Helmut Marko spoke to Sky Sports, where he pointed out the current balance of power: "I think we improved a very good car from last year and we were surprised our rivals didn't come any nearer. I keep hearing updates and updates but I don't see it on the stopwatch. I think we are doing the right thing and something is not so [right] with our rivals."

Perez had another bad day

Verstappen excelled once again, Sergio Perez had another bad day. The Mexican only just advanced to Q2, where he was then stranded after driving through the gravel earlier in the session. It seems Perez is throwing away his chances of the world title. "That's fair. I was worried he would be stuck in the gravel again, and fortunately he came out. But he didn't make it in Q3. I think he needs a good race tomorrow, and then his confidence will be back. Let's hope," said the Austrian team's consultant.

So the big favourite for victory in Spain is Max Verstappen. "I think Max is in great shape. You see how everything comes so easy, there's no movement, nothing. it will be difficult to beat him tomorrow," Marko concluded.