When Helmut Marko steps in front of the microphones after qualifying in Qatar, he seems more relaxed for the first time this weekend. It’s not the placement alone, but there’s a lot behind it. “We are happy with third place,” he says. “But we are even happier with the time difference. We were around half a second behind the whole weekend, now it’s only two tenths.”
His confidence is based primarily on the findings from previous long runs. Marko explains: “We got along much better with the yellow and white mixtures, i.e. the harder tires. This gives us hope that we can take part in the race.”
In doing so, he expresses what has been considered a crucial variable in the team since training: the softer compounds had tormented Red Bull, the harder ones made the car more stable.
Max Verstappen also sees the improvement in qualifying as a step forward. “It was a little better,” he says. “I was happier, but we still have limitations that prevent us from pushing harder. Nevertheless, P3 is a good starting position because it is difficult to overtake here.” The world champion remains realistic: “Overall, this weekend is not what I imagined. But let’s see what happens tomorrow.”
Tsunoda’s riddle – and Marko’s clear answer
Yuki Tsunoda, on the other hand, was eliminated in Q1 – even though he had taken fifth place in sprint qualifying on Friday and beat Verstappen. The Japanese was correspondingly at a loss. “I have no idea what happened,” he says. “The lap was decent, similar to yesterday when it was enough for P5. The car was almost the same, we only changed a little thing. But that shouldn’t matter that much.”
When asked about possible mistakes, Tsunoda answers directly: “No mistakes. I was at the limit. If you want to see the round, you can watch it.” The problem: Nobody at Red Bull could give him an explanation. Especially since he was only three tenths slower than his teammate, Q1 was simply very competitive.
Ralf Schumacher asks Marko whether something was broken on the car. Marko clearly contradicts: “No. The gap was three tenths, which is good in itself, but he didn’t achieve this final improvement.” That sounds sobering for Schumacher, because Tsunoda had looked “quite strong” until then.
On the subject of the underbody, Marko also confirms: “We took the old one. We don’t have a new one anymore and used a good old one.” The bouncing wasn’t just dependent on the subfloor: “There were a few other things responsible for it.”
Does Max Verstappen have to risk everything at the start?
Marko finds the tire limitations particularly exciting, which in Qatar again force him to make several pit stops. “Two stops are necessary,” he says. “And a lot can happen, both positive and negative.” An advantage for Red Bull? Marko waves it off: “No. With two stops you always have the chance that a safety car will come out at the most unfortunate moment – and this chance is great. But that’s just the way it is, it’s the same for everyone.”
This point in particular will shape the race: The FIA stipulates a maximum number of laps of 25 laps per set of tires, which forces strategic windows. Safety car phases can destroy or gild these windows. Red Bull is planning conservatively – and is hoping for chaos between the lines that will make McLaren more vulnerable than themselves.
But there is still a catch. In order to keep the World Cup ambitions alive, Max Verstappen has to finish ahead of Lando Norris. Overtaking in Qatar is difficult due to several factors: there is only one DRS zone, the dirty air in the middle part of the track is massive and tire wear has little effect on the lap time. Little wear means less effectiveness of undercut and overcut. So does Max Verstappen have to risk everything at the start? Sunday will show it.
Mekies praises Red Bull’s persistence – and at the same time warns against McLaren
Laurent Mekies, Red Bull team boss, rates the day as “the best possible result”. He said: “I’m very happy with how the team fought with Max. He didn’t have a comfortable car for parts of the weekend, but we kept trying to improve it.”
Mekies continues to be critical of the speed comparison to McLaren. “We never quite matched their pace. But the gap has narrowed and the balance is closer to where we want it.” This fits with his warning: “McLaren looked very fast this weekend.”
On the subject of bouncing, he explains: “The bouncing surprised us a little. Yesterday, this morning – it was difficult. Things got a little better in qualifying, and whether that has something to do with that or not, we also found a little more performance.” He remains cautiously optimistic about the race: “I don’t think you can say the car is in the sweet spot. But we are close enough to take advantage of every opportunity that arises.”
At the end, Verstappen himself provides the most sober assessment. “We’re still a long way away,” he says. “But I feel better than yesterday.” The bouncing was less bad in qualifying, “but we still have limitations.” The starting position is positive: “We at least have opportunities from the second row. Overtaking is difficult, so every place further forward helps.”