Only on the final day of the winter test in Bahrain did the fog surrounding the balance of power between the Formula One teams lift somewhat. In the end, it was Max Verstappen who set the fastest time with a qualifying lap and caused a lot of happy faces in the Red Bull Racing garage. Helmut Marko explains why the times of the day were so important.
On the final day of testing, simulations were completed for the Bahrain Grand Prix. That was also where Red Bull came out strongest. At Sport1 Marko says that the car was in large parts similar to that of the coming weekend in Bahrain.
Marko on fast time Verstappen
The fast lap Verstappen set in the final phase of the last test session caused cheers in the Red Bull Racing garage, but Marko reveals that the focus is on an earlier fast lap. "More important was the time Max set with the C3 tires. That is the tire that will be used during qualifying at the race weekend," he continues.
The Red Bull chief explains that the update introduced by the team works as expected. In addition, the major problems with porpoising have been fixed. "Mercedes still has to master that," Marko says teasingly.
Mercedes meanwhile complained bitterly about the performance of the car and Lewis Hamilton thinks he can't even fight for victories. Marko knows that game of his rivals by now. "They always complain during the tests and then suddenly: 'boom'. Last year they also had problems during the test and still won the first race," Marko said.