Marko is buzzing with confidence: "As far as I've seen, we were fastest there too"

Helmut Marko is very happy with how the first day of the Formula 1 season in Bahrain went. Red Bull Racing finished in first place in both free practice sessions with Max Verstappen and also in the long runs of the second free practice the RB16B seems to be the fastest of the field, according to Helmut Marko afterwards.

"In general we are satisfied," Marko said in a conversation with Servus TV. Speaking to the Austrian television channel, the man from Graz states that the 2021 car is behaving as expected. "But of course, it is also very difficult to tune it properly. The temperature differences, the wind differences. So far we've managed all that quite well."

Long runs positive for Red Bull

So with Verstappen, Red Bull were on top twice on Friday, something that was never really the case last year of course. Not only does the qualifying speed seem to be in order, but the long runs looked very good too. "As for the long runs, they were also promising. As far as I've seen, we were the fastest there too," Marko noted.

The whole package seems to be strong for 2021. "We need a chassis that is absolutely competitive. That seems to have been achieved. The car has more balance and is no longer as wind-sensitive. These aerodynamic improvements are also mainly to do with the Honda engine, as it is extremely well packed at the back. This has allowed us to find a really optimal aerodynamic solution at the rear," the Austrian explained in conclusion.