Marko sees Verstappen win qualifying: 'He was by far the fastest'

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko now sees Aston Martin as Red Bull's main challenger. After Fernando Alonso passed both Red Bull drivers and set the fastest time in the second free practice session, Marko sees him as the main challenger, reports Motorsport Magazin.

After finishing second in the first free practice, Alonso surprised in the second free practice by setting the fastest time. In doing so, he held off both Red Bull drivers in second and third place. The other Aston Martin, driven by Lance Stroll, achieved the sixth fastest time. That too is a special achievement, as Stroll was unable to take part in earlier practice sessions due to an injury and even complained of pain in his hands during practice.

Red Bull expects competition from Aston Martin

Aston Martin's performance was a nice shock for Red Bull, according to Marko's reaction. "As it looks now, Aston Martin seems to be the second team with Alonso," said the Red Bull advisor. Although he still held back: "The interesting factor will be how much petrol Alonso was driving with."

Marko does expect Verstappen to still come out of qualifying as fastest. "If you look at the whole thing I think Max was by far the fastest," he said.