Marko disappointed with Verstappen's crash: 'We had imagined this differently'

Max Verstappen's crash during the third free practice session in Baku will not put a damper on the Dutchman's qualification, or Red Bull's wider plans to further secure their leadership position, Helmut Marko stated in a review of the session.

"Before qualifying we will have the car repaired, the damage is quite manageable," Marko begins in conversation with Austria's ORF. The team boss does not foresee any problems for the rest of the weekend as a result of the crash, but does argue: "The only problem is that we have less time to determine the perfect set-up. We had certainly imagined this differently."

"We will come back from this," Marko continued, looking ahead to qualifying where the Red Bulls are once again labelled favourites. Mercedes' lacklustre form gives the Milton Keynes-based team a good outlook for the rest of the weekend.

Dr Marko is unimpressed with Hamilton's final stint, which saw him record a last-minute third time. He explains: "Hamilton's third time is good, but that was mainly due to a slipstream he got in the third sector. That's where he made up the most time."