Marko sees benefit of Honda engine diminish for Red Bull in Mexico

According to Helmut Marko, Red Bull Racing's advantage has diminished at the Mexico circuit in terms of the engine. However, the team is optimistic after Friday, as both the short runs and longruns look good.

The second free practice for the Mexican Grand Prix was dominated by the Pirelli tyre test, so the times driven in the session were not representative. So on Friday, the teams had to make do with the data from the first free practice only. The fast laps on the soft tyres do not say much.

Carlos Sainz was the fastest man in FP1, closely followed by teammate Charles Leclerc. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez drove exactly the same lap time. The Dutchman did not yet seem to be completely at ease in the RB18, as he ended up off the track a couple of times. Among other things, Verstappen complained about the grip on the track.

Honda has less advantage in Mexico

Still, Red Bull is satisfied after the first practice sessions. "We are there, both over one fast lap and in the longruns," Marko is quoted by Auto, Motor und Sport. The Red Bull advisor does note that Honda's advantage has diminished. "We saw that last year." In the past, the engine performed a lot better than its competitors in the height of the Mexico City circuit. The Honda engine managed to generate more power in the thin air.