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Marko explains Verstappen's problem: 'Power was fine'

18:02, 21 May 2022

byGPblog.com

Max Verstappen had to deal with bad luck again during qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix. The Dutchman had the provisional pole position in his pocket, but during his second run, things went wrong. Helmut Marko explains the problems of the Dutchman.

After his spin in the first run, Charles Leclerc had to pull out all the stops in Q3 to set a fast lap in the final phase of qualifying. It looked good for Verstappen, but while the Monegasque set a faster time, the Dutchman sounded frustrated over the onboard radio: "No power!"

The loss of power meant that Verstappen was unable to defend his provisional pole, but Red Bull can at least breathe a sigh of relief. For the problem was not with the engine, but with the DRS. "The DRS didn't open. The power was fine, but the fact that it didn't open gave him [Verstappen] the feeling that something was wrong with the engine," explained Helmut Marko at Sky Germany.

Mechanical defect Verstappen

"Everything was fine with the engine. It was a mechanical defect on the rear wing. We have to see what was going on. It's a shame because the pole was in the bag," said the Red Bull advisor. At least it is a good sign for Sunday's race that there are no reliability issues with the engine.

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6 Comments

Raoul 21 May 2022 at 19:18+ 2588

Glad it's not the engine!!

@RBMax 21 May 2022 at 18:20+ 262

I don't think Max was beating Charles time at all.
I will be all about tires and strategies tomorrow, not pace.
This is where Checo comes in......

Raoul 21 May 2022 at 19:13+ 2588

Track was getting faster, so he might have taken it, or maybe not, tomorrow will be a good race I think.

J&H 22 May 2022 at 08:25+ 711

They think the Ferrari's gonna chow its tyres quickly in the Spanish heat and that might put them under attack later into the race. Maby Russel might come into play aswell depending on how the Merc looks after its tyres. Also depends on how everybody gets away at the front when the lights go off. In Charles's own words he likes to control the race from the front. We must not forget about Carlos. He might have something to say in Spain. Perez also. Ham behind. Lets see what happens on the first lap. Hopefully no big names falling victim to misjudgment on the first lap. Its gonna be epic and a big thank you fo F1 for bringing us top class entertainment.