Marko expects tough race: 'Gap to Hamilton is alarming'

Helmut Marko is not happy with the gap between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. The Dutchman finished half a second behind Hamilton in qualifying. Marko expects a difficult race on the circuit of Qatar.

"The gap is a bit alarming. We managed to make up for it in the first sector, where we lost a lot at the beginning, but then we fell behind again in sector two. So it's constant back and forth, the car has never been as good over a lap," Marko told Sky Germany.

'Tough and difficult race'

Verstappen was indeed fast in sector one, but lost a lot of time in the other two sectors. In the end Hamilton even managed to set three purple sectors. Marko wants to stay positive, but also knows that Mercedes are very fast.

"We remain positive though," he added. "Normally we do much better with a full tank of fuel, so I hope we can deliver a close race. Let's see what Hamilton's pace is, but it will be a tough and difficult race," said the Red Bull advisor.