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Marko admits Red Bull error: Mistake by the team to put Perez on medium tyres

Marko admits Red Bull error: "Mistake by the team" to put Perez on medium tyres

27-03-2021 16:40 Last update: 16:59
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Max Verstappen will start on pole position for the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix. Red Bull Racing advisor Helmut Marko sees this as a "great relief" to finally topple Mercedes. For the first time in the hybrid era, Mercedes won't be on pole for the opening race of the season. 

"It's a great relief," Helmut Marko said on 'ServusTV' and explained: "We know that, we've been chasing after Mercedes since 2014. When you're behind, you have to risk more and more. And we now have the advantage we know where we stand and can concentrate on further development."

Sergio Perez

Over the winter, Sergio Perez arrived at the Milton Keynes factory. For the first time since Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing opted for a driver outside of their junior set-up. The aim was to have a second driver up alongside Verstappen to give extra strategy options against Mercedes. However, that wasn't the case in Bahrain as Perez dropped out in Q2 on the medium tyres. 

"This [pole position] is a very important step for us. But this is the only way to win a World Championship if you are competitive from the start," said the Austrian, who also defended Perez after losing in Q2. "I would say it was a mistake by the team not to send him out on the soft tyre. He wasn't safely through," said Marko.