Helmut Marko’s ‘reassurance’ over Lando Norris threat after ‘annoying’ Max Verstappen qualifying

Helmut Marko believes Max Verstappen was “too tense” in qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix but reckons the RB20 again has the speed needed for him to make up positions.

Recording their longest winless run since 2020 as they struggled with an unbalanced RB20, Red Bull bolted a new floor onto the car in Baku with notable gains.

Helmut Marko spots silver lining after ‘annoying’ qualifying

The primary reason for the change has been billed as ‘performance’ with Red Bull revising the floor tunnel geometry to ‘improve the flow locally and downstream in all conditions’.

The weekend started well for Verstappen as he was quickest in the opening practice session while also topping Q2 where he edged out Charles Leclerc with Sergio Perez third quickest.

Into Q3 though, the Dutchman complained about his RB20 bouncing before making a mistake at Turn 16 while a lack of pace on his second flying lap left him down in sixth place, two positions behind Perez.

It was the first time in 33 Grand Prix qualifying sessions that the Mexican driver got the better of the reigning World Champion.

“It’s annoying,” Marko told ServusTV of Verstappen’s qualifying. “Max with his first lap, he lost six-tenths in Turn 16, which would have been enough for P2. But when you make a mistake like that…

“And on his second lap, there was actually nothing major wrong, but he didn’t have the same speed anymore.”

The 81-year-old believes Verstappen was “too tense” during qualifying with the Dutchman saying it “felt the car took a step back” as he covered his first laps in Q1.

“In my first run in Q3, I lost it in the last corner,” he admitted. “Then you still have a run to improve your lap time, but I just didn’t have the feeling in the car.

“We changed some things and know what the problem is. This is a bummer.”

There was, however, a bit of good news for Verstappen even if it came at the expense of his good friend Lando Norris.

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The Briton, who is Verstappen’s nearest rival for the World title and last time out in Monza took eight points out of his lead, will be starting the race near the back of the field having qualified down in 17th place.

But while he has already made some gains due to penalties or pit lane starts for three drivers who qualified ahead, he’ll still only be 15th on the grid with Verstappen P6.

“The car has speed now, thank God,” declared Marko. “This is a track where you can overtake. So it doesn’t look too bad, especially with Lando Norris’ starting position.

“That’s reassuring for the World Championship.”

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