Marko beams from ear to ear: 'That lap of Max was so fantastic'

Helmut Marko can't believe his luck with Max Verstappen. The Dutchman made a perfect start of the season by taking pole position in Bahrain. Lewis Hamilton was beaten fair and square and so Red Bull is competitive from the first moment of the year. That has not always been the case...

"That lap was so fantastic. He pulled out all the stops and stayed four-tenths ahead of Hamilton, which shows the potential that the driver, the engine and the car have," Marko told Austria's ServusTV with a broad smile. The Red Bull advisor says he is "absolutely, totally over the moon".

The RB16B's long runs looked extremely competitive so there is a relatively good chance of Verstappen winning in Bahrain. Marko is particularly curious about the first lap in the desert Sunday afternoon. "I hope the start is successful and then we should be able to control the race relatively well." From the back, it's Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas in their Mercedes who are looking to make a bid for first place.

Pierre Gasly also looked set for a fourth place on the grid, but it was Leclerc who dropped the AlphaTauri Frenchman to a respectable fifth place at the end of the session. "The race speed is there and Gasly delivered. He showed that the AlphaTauri is an absolutely good midfield car," Marko concluded.