F1 News: Helmut Marko fears Red Bull have fallen BEHIND F1 rivals

Marko, Red Bull Racing, RB20 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News

Marko fears Red Bull have fallen BEHIND F1 rivals

Helmut Marko reveals fears that Red Bull may have fallen behind rivals at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Sheona Mountford

Friday 5 April 2024 17:15 Updated: 17:33

Red Bull chief Helmut Marko fears Red Bull have fallen behind rivals ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.

This comes after a less than ideal Australian Grand Prix for the Austrian team, which saw Ferrari close up to be within four points of the champions.

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Championship leader Max Verstappen suffered a DNF in the opening laps of the race, with Sergio Perez only managing a fifth place finish.

Ferrari were in the perfect position to capitalise on Red Bull’s misfortune, sealing a 1-2 ahead of both McLaren’s.

Ferrari continue to threaten in Japan

Despite a positive FP1 session that saw Red Bull back on top, Helmut Marko fears that Ferrari will also be strong in Japan.

In an interview with Peter Hardenacke for Sky Germany, Marko summarised their performance so far.

"We are happy with the day. We brought in extensive upgrades and they worked. I hope that the weather tomorrow is better but Ferrari during the long runs, with Charles driving three laps with the hards was very insightful," he said.

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"Leclerc was one second faster. It’s not the reality when you use less petrol, which Ferrari does do sometimes. The data does show that their engine power is up. That puts them a tiny bit ahead of us."

Red Bull Max Verstappen Ferrari Sergio Perez Helmut Marko Japanese Grand Prix