Marko thinks engine problem with Leclerc, Ferrari team boss denies

Helmut Marko rates Red Bull Racing's chances high at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The 79-year-old Austrian assumes that Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez (on a good start) will appear on the horizon, bringing in a one-two for the Milton Keynes-based team.

Qualifying was pretty exciting on Saturday, but if all goes well, that will not be the case on Sunday. So says Marko at Servus TV. The Red Bull consultant thinks the RB19 can handle tyre degradation well and that his team has enough options in strategy to bring the race to a successful conclusion.

The biggest threat comes from Aston Martin and especially Fernando Alonso. The two-time world champion from Spain impressed in the race simulation on Friday. "In the long runs, Aston Martin was better than Mercedes, it will be an exciting fight," he said.

Only one run by Leclerc in Q3

It was notable that Charles Leclerc, with a second time (which eventually became a third time later in Q3), missed out on the final run of qualifying. The Monegasque exited, to the surprise of many. It is logical to think it was about saving a set of tyres in order to have more options in the race, but Marko does not think that was the case. "I don't know what happened with Leclerc, supposedly the engine. The reliability doesn't seem to be there yet there."

At Sky, however, Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari's team boss, revealed that Marko's thought was wrong. "We made this decision before the last session to save a set of tyres. Now we are in a good position. We discussed this plan with Charles before the session, so everything is fine."