Helmut Marko identifies the factor behind Red Bull’s substantial shortfall.
Helmut Marko has explained the reason for Red Bull’s disappointing start to the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has explained why Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda struggled with pace during the first two practice sessions at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Marko suggested that the six-time constructors’ champions took the wrong approach when setting up the RB21 to handle the challenges of the Monte Carlo street circuit.
While Verstappen finished second and tenth fastest in the two sessions, Tsunoda only managed 14th and 11th positions during the two hours of running.
Last season at Monaco, the RB20 had one of its poorest weekends because it couldn’t cope well with the bumps and kerbs of the track.
Although there has been little talk about this issue with the RB21 this year, the team’s setup error could add to an already existing problem.
Red Bull often finds it difficult to reach optimal performance on Fridays during F1 weekends, a recurring issue that has affected them over the past year.
This was evident at the previous race in Imola, but Red Bull managed to recover as Verstappen went on to claim his second win of the season.
Ahead of Monaco, the four-time F1 World Champion addressed the problem, explaining its cause and how the team is working to fix it.
Despite the struggles, Marko remains optimistic due to the RB21’s strong pace over longer runs. However, he expects Ferrari to be the main competitor, just as they were in Monaco last year.
“The setup was probably incorrect,” the 82-year-old told Sky Sports Germany. “Max experienced a lot of understeer. We need to find a compromise to reduce the understeer without going too far.
“On the other hand, the last or second-to-last lap in the long run was very good. But I think Ferrari is clearly the favorite here.”
