Red Bull, Helmut Marko: “We have balance issues, but P3 is within reach”
Red Bull didn’t shine on Friday at Zandvoort. Max Verstappen finished FP2 six-tenths off the top, while Yuki Tsunoda was nine-tenths behind. The drivers’ comments suggest there won’t be a battle for pole or victory, but there will be a tight fight with others for a possible podium finish.
Verstappen pessimistic: “On tracks like this we’ve always struggled, I don’t think we can improve the car much”
The home favorite was not surprised by the RB21’s difficulties on this track, highlighting the car’s intrinsic setup challenges that leave little room for engineers and mechanics. “We’re still struggling with the same problems. We made some changes to the car, but they don’t seem to have changed much in terms of fundamental issues. I don’t expect a big change tomorrow.”
The Dutch circuit requires a careful compromise between stiffness, for high-speed corners, and softness, to attack the curbs and absorb the bumps. This proves particularly challenging for the Milton Keynes team on high-downforce circuits. “The layout doesn’t suit us because it doesn’t match the characteristics of our car, especially in the second sector with long corners where we lose most of our time.”
Regarding qualifying targets, the reigning world champion added: “I think it will be very difficult to get into the top five.”
Helmut Marko: “Balance isn’t good: we suffer understeer turning into oversteer on exit, but we’ll fight with Mercedes and Aston Martin”
Unlike Verstappen, Helmut Marko remains more optimistic, believing that not only is the top five achievable, but a third-place starting position is also possible. “I think McLaren are untouchable. Aston Martin is surprisingly fast. So I think the fight for the top three will be with them and Mercedes. Ferrari seems to have a bit more difficulty.”
It is well known that the Anglo-Austrian team struggles more on high-downforce tracks, where the car’s limitations in providing a sharp, responsive front end are exposed. This issue particularly affects Verstappen’s driving style, which relies heavily on confidence in the front of the car. “The balance wasn’t good. We suffer understeer, which turns into oversteer on exit. This has been a problem all year on this type of track.”
Marko is more confident about race pace than qualifying, explaining: “The harder the tires, the faster we are. The race will likely be a one-stop with a medium-hard strategy, so I think that will help us.”
Yuki Tsunoda: “Positive day. Need to find the right compromise between qualifying and long runs”
In the other side of the garage, there is a more positive outlook. Accustomed to different standards, for Yuki Tsunoda finishing seventh in FP2 is a solid starting point for aiming at points in the race. “I think at the start of FP1 we were in a great position, but by the end of the session we dropped slightly. That happens when you try to extract maximum performance.”
“We made some changes between the sessions and it went well, especially in qualifying trim. In long runs, we’re further off compared to FP1. We need to find the ideal compromise between the two,” the Japanese driver said.
He also emphasized that overall confidence is improving: “It’s positive to have clean sessions after the summer break, and this helps build confidence for the weekend, which is very important.”
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