'He Was Really Fast': Marko Keeping Eye On Leclerc Who Looks Quicker Than Expected

Friday, 05 April 2024 at 15:00

Red Bull boss Helmut Marko suggested after the first two practice sessions in Japan that Charles Leclerc's pace might be a bit worrying for Red Bull.

Red Bull dominated the first practice session ahead of the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix with Max Verstappen in P1 and Sergio Perez in P2.

However, their rivals didn't seem as far as was initially expected. Suzuka Circuit is one of the tracks that would suit Red Bull and Max Verstappen perhaps the most, but his lead was only 0.213 seconds on Carlos Sainz in P3.

In FP2, Red Bull didn't send any of their drivers on the track as the conditions were damp, and it is now estimated that the race on Sunday should be dry.

Speaking to the media at Suzuka Circuit after the second Free Practice session of the day, the 80-year-old Red Bull advisory told ORF:

"We have included an update that was already in the pipeline anyway. It is an extensive package and that package did exactly what we expected in the first run. We are doing well with the technical changes we have implemented."

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Red Bull was rumored to introduce a big upgrade during this weekend's fourth round of the season. Some suggested the team might even move closer to Mercedes's failed zero-pod concept, but that did not happen.

Still, the Austrian team seemed really fast, and it is difficult to estimate just how far ahead of the competition they might be due to the different engine modes and fuel loads used during practice sessions.

However, Helmut Marko seemed slightly worried after watching Charles Leclerc's two stints on hard compound tires, which seemed rather quick. He said:

"[But] Charles Leclerc's run was a bit annoying. Or actually not annoying, but he was really fast. In that regard, we have to see how much fuel he had on board for that run."