Marko happy with ban party mode: "Also affects in- and outlaps and overtaking"

Helmut Marko states that Red Bull Racing underperformed during the Spanish Grand Prix. Red Bull Racing's advisor says that both RB16's suffered from overheating and further argues that the gap to Mercedes is not too big. He doesn't want to rule out a world championship for Max Verstappen yet.

When Marko is asked by Speedweek.com whether it is still realistic to turn Verstappen into the youngest world champion ever with Hamilton's recent successes in mind, he answers: "Of course. We have performed below level in Spain. On Friday we were on the pace of Mercedes, but during the Grand Prix both tyre compounds at the back of our car overheated, so we had to reduce our speed".

Marko sees several effects

Marko welcomes the FIA's ban on qualifying mode, because according to the Austrian, it does not only affect performance in qualifying. "It is also going to affect the in- and outlaps and overtaking," he explains. Reportedly, party mode will still be available in Belgium, in contrast to previous reports. From Italy it would only be necessary to drive with the same engine modes.

Whether this technical guideline will ensure that Red Bull is closer to Mercedes for the upcoming GP's? "Yes, although we still have certain drawbacks due to our suspension. It is somewhat unpredictable because the data of the wind tunnel is not consistent with what we see on the track, but we are working hard on that. We're bringing new parts to Belgium, which should improve stability. We're not even halfway through the season yet," Marko is hopeful.

With weekends ahead on power circuits like Spa-Francorchamps and Monza, the question is how the Honda engine will relate to Mercedes' power unit. "In the race trim Honda has been able to improve, but not yet in qualifying. In theory both races would be difficult for us, but last year we were already good in both races in terms of speed, even though the results didn't come because Max crashed. The goal is to be as close as possible to Mercedes and challenge this team".