Marko is shocked after FP1 in China: 'Not the way it should be'

Helmut Marko saw Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez finish third and fourth in the first free practice for the Chinese Grand Prix. The Red Bull Racing advisor is not entirely confident of a good finish this weekend. He argues that the Milton Keynes-based team needs to improve things if it wants to finish Sunday's sprint race and GP with a victory.

"We need to improve significantly. The tyres overheat relatively quickly. The handling [of the RB20] is currently not as it should be. I hope the grip will improve," Marko told Sky's German branch after the first free practice session. The 80-year-old Austrian noted that Ferrari and McLaren came out "very strong" in Shanghai.

Work to do for Red Bull

According to Marko, Red Bull lost ground "in almost all sectors", although he did note that Red Bull did not know exactly how much fuel the Ferraris and McLarens had on board. Marko argues that his team now faces a choice: focus on the sprint race with the set-up or focus more on the Grand Prix a day later. "Focusing on both will be difficult," he said.

Red Bull, like the other teams, has much less data than normal because the last Chinese GP was in 2019. New regulations were introduced in 2022, so everyone has to decide which direction to go based on just one free practice.