Helmut Marko admits Max Verstappen and Red Bull ‘not at level’ of Lando Norris after Friday at British GP

Helmut Marko mentioned that Red Bull needed to find the right balance to bounce back after an underwhelming Friday outing at Silverstone.

Helmut Marko admits Max Verstappen and Red Bull ‘not at level’ of Lando Norris after Friday at British GP

Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Helmut Marko (Via: Imago)

Max Verstappen at the British GP weekend recorded the seventh fastest lap in FP2. Lando Norris was almost seventh tenths ahead of Verstappen in this battle. The dutchman mentioned his car lacked speed despite trying different setups on the car.

Dr. Helmut Marko after the FP2 session mentioned that Red Bull was not performing at the level of McLaren currently. He pointed out that while battling against Lando Norris, Max Verstappen was losing significant time in slow corners. Especially, in sector 1 where they are almost three tenths of a second slower. Marko highlighted the car is not handling well in the slower, more technical parts of the track compared to Norris’ car.

Currently not at the level of Norris. We lose too much time in the slow corners, especially in sector 1 we lose almost three tenths.
Helmut Marko said, as reported by motorsporttotal.com
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Marko reflected Red Bull’s performance during the second practice session in comparison to the first and Norris. He mentioned that FP2 was not as good as FP1, and the long-run performance was also not at the level they hoped for. Despite this, Helmut Marko acknowledged that there’s still room for improvement. The 81-year-old highlighted the challenge of finding a balance in the car’s setup and maintaining high performance in fast corners while also improving speed in slower corners.

FS Video
FP2 is worse than FP1, the long run was not so good either, still good, but not at the level of Norris. So we still have a lot to improve here. We'll see if we can find the right balance to maintain our performance in the fast corners without losing so much in the slow ones.
Helmut Marko stated

Helmut Marko highlights ‘several reasons’ for Red Bull’s struggles

Helmut Marko explained the reasons for their car not performing well during the FP2. One significant issue was that the car was sliding too much on the track, which meant it didn’t grip the road as well as they had hoped. This lack of grip could have affected both speed and control during the session. Marko suggested that this problem was more related to mechanical aspects of the car rather than some other factors.

It's a mixture of several reasons. The car is sliding too much. I think it's more mechanical.
Helmut Marko said
Max Verstappen, elmut Marko and Christian Horner
Max Verstappen, Helmut Marko and Christian Horner (Via: Imago)

Helmut Marko also discussed the impact of upgrades on performance, advising against overestimating their effects. He mentioned that during testing, only Verstappen’s RB20 had been equipped with a new floor. This upgrade was expected to provide a small improvement of about six points that is equivalent to half a tenth of a second per lap. Marko mentioned these changes were not noticeable by the normal observers.

It was around six points, which is half a tenth. Visually, the layman sees no difference.
Helmut Marko added

Certainly, Helmut Marko stated the poor performance at the FP2 was due to several factors. The team is focused on fixing all the issues Verstappen and Perez faced during the Session, especially the slow corners. Fans are hoping for a better performance on Sunday as last weekend’s performance was below par.

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