Marko Assesses Red Bull's Performance After Winning Bet Over Verstappen's Engineer
F1Saturday, 02 March 2024 at 15:00
Updated at Sunday, 03 March 2024 at 09:27
Helmut Marko discussed Red Bull's qualifying performance after winning a 50€ bet on Max Verstappen's pole position.
Red Bull Racing F1 drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez took P1 and P5 during the Friday qualifying session at Bahrain International Circuit.
The advisor of the Austrian team, Helmut Marko, revealed he had a bet against Max Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase that the triple World Champion would take pole position during the first qualifying session of the season. He told ServusTV:
"I earn €50, but I have to give €25 of that to Max - he's a tough negotiator. We worked hard after practice, and then, of course, the Max factor came around the corner again. It's nice to be able to start the race here at the front of the field."
The 80-year-old also asserted the starting position of Sergio Perez was decent enough as the Bahrain International Circuit offers many overtaking opportunities. This should make it easier for the Mexican to fight his way through the field.
"We are very satisfied. Also with Sergio on P5, here you can catch up well, so we are optimistic for the race."
In qualifying sessions, Ferrari drivers showed Red Bull would not have it very easy this season. Charles Leclerc put in a faster lap than Verstappen, but unfortunately for him, it was in Q2, and he could not repeat it in Q3.
"It was a difficult day. Leclerc was strong, as we expected. In the latter sector, however, Max was not performing optimally, but it was enough for the pole position."
Red Bull is expected to have an edge over their rivals in the race, and starting from the front of the grid should make the race easier for the Dutchman and his 34-year-old teammate. Marko added:
"We worked hard after the practice sessions, and of course, the Max factor came back in the corner. It's nice to be able to start the race here at the front of the field."
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