The first free practice sessions at the Saudi Arabia street circuit have shown that the drivers will spend a lot of time on the throttle pedal. Helmut Marko thinks that Red Bull Racing has a chance as the corners will not be an advantage for Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton showed in FP1 and FP2 that he is still there and that he is keen on winning. Max Verstappen was close to winning in the first free practice and the Austrian is not giving up hope. Despite the fact that a large part of the track is full throttle, it also consists of a lot of corners. The straights which are normally an advantage for Mercedes are not there on this track.
The corners mean that the British team have to do their best to search for the perfect set-up for qualifying and the race. "That means Mercedes can't put their car straight down like that, they have to find a good set-up," Marko told ServusTV.
Tyre choice still unclear
Meanwhile, Red Bull does not yet know which tyre they will start the race on. The temperature plays a big role in this. The most important thing remains that they start ahead of Hamilton. "It's all about nuances. The temperature has to be right and the asphalt temperature here doesn't drop as much as the outside temperature. But overall we are happy. If it's possible, we want to start for Hamilton."