Helmut Marko points out the weakest point of Red Bull F1 in Miami

The Sprint classification at the Miami Grand Prix was not as Red Bull expected. Yuki Tsunoda was left out in the first phase, the SQ1, after a failed return and suffering, while his teammate, Max Verstappen, had to settle for the fourth place. The Dutchman pointed out after the session that the RB21 was able to keep the level well in the first sector thanks to the combination of faster curves, but that from there wasted some time due to return.

In statements to Servustv, the consultant to the team, Helmut Marko, also confirmed that the car has problems especially in the last sector. “In sectors 1 and 2 we are there, but we lose 0.25 seconds in the last one,” said the Austrian. “And as there is only a real curve, the conclusion is that we lose time, especially in the lines.”

In Red Bull, this Friday the eyes were mainly put in Verstappen. After all, he is the only one of the pilots of the structure of Milton Keynes who has a new floor this weekend. The team still does not have all the data for an adequate overview, due to the lack of training, but Marko did notice that, compared to Tsunoda, Verstappen had “less subviring. There is still subviring, but it seems that it is going in the right direction.”

While the performance of the Red Bull in the lines made them suffer, the opposite happened with the Mercedes W16. The Brackley team equipped the cars of Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell with new engines and made a difference, precisely in the final sector. Marko argued that this also contributed to the highest performance of the Italian and, therefore, to the pole for the Sprint. “A new engine normally brings some more power. That seemed to have a positive effect here,” he observed.

As for Tsunoda’s performance, Marko was indulgent, stressing that the Japanese was not to blame for what happened to him in the SQ1. “He left a little late on track because the cars that had ahead again left very slowly. I think he lacked two or three seconds,” he said, regarding the possibility of avoiding the checkered flag. “In terms of speed, I would have been there.”