Marko on RB18 repairs: 'Huge damage from kerbs'.

As Christian Horner has said, Red Bulls are not as far behind Ferrari as the second free practice session in France suggests. Helmut Marko agrees with that statement. The Red Bull advisor still thinks there is a good chance of Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez winning.

Red Bull conceded more than half a second to Ferrari in the second session this Friday. The gap was not often this big after the first day, but Marko is not that worried either. He agrees at Motorsport-Magazin.com that there is indeed a small gap in the qualifying runs, but over the full race distance the RB18 is in good shape.

Marko optimistic

"The most important thing is the long run, and it was promising for us," Marko told the German medium. The Red Bulls were the least productive of all the teams in FP2, possibly also one of the reasons for the somewhat large difference with Ferrari over one lap. According to Marko, the floor had to be reinforced because the kerbs had caused 'enormous' damage earlier in the day.

The hot conditions and characteristics of the Paul Ricard circuit mean tyre management is likely to be the key to success in France this weekend. The mediums have already struggled in the race simulations, so it looks like there will be at least two stops to go. For Verstappen and Red Bull, it will be to hope that they fare better than a fortnight ago in Austria.