Helmut Marko is not concerned about Ferrari’s performance during Friday’s Free Practices. The two practice sessions at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit saw the Ferrari driver stand out and easily surpass his competitors. The driver from Monaco led FP2 and showed great potential throughout the Australian GP weekend so far, posing a significant challenge for Red Bull in the coming days.
When asked about what he thought of Ferrari’s performance and Charles Leclerc, Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko believes that the performance difference between Leclerc and Max Verstappen is due to engine modes. He states that Ferrari used all power and their qualifying setup during the practice sessions, while Red Bull did not push to its full potential.
Although Red Bull is confident in their overall performance advantage, they are a bit concerned about Leclerc’s pace. As qualifying approaches, Red Bull and Ferrari are expected to battle for pole position on Saturday.
Max Verstappen had a more challenging Friday practice than usual. The three-time world champion damaged the floor of his car after a visit to the gravel trap in FP1, resulting in 20 minutes lost for repairs in FP2.
Verstappen was unable to complete any long runs during the sessions, leaving him and the Red Bull team uncertain about the overall pace of the RB20 car in Melbourne. After the end of the practice sessions, Verstappen discussed the steps that need to be taken to regain pace for the rest of the weekend.
Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and [Name] showed impressive speed throughout the practice sessions, with Leclerc leading FP2. It seems that Verstappen and Red Bull have a challenging task ahead for the rest of the weekend.
