Helmut Marko worries about competition: 'It will be a battle'

During qualifying in Japan, both Red Bulls were fast. Yet the team is not convinced about its longer-distance speed. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko is worried about how close the competition is. He is, however, very pleased with Sergio Perez's performance.

Despite his pole position, Max Verstappen is not happy with his Red Bull's longruns. So he is not yet counting himself rich on a victory on Sunday either. Helmut Marko is also cautious. He expects a three-way battle in Japan. "The McLarens finally got back up to speed. I think you have to take into account McLaren and Ferrari. I think it will be a race between McLaren, Ferrari and us," Marko told ORF after qualifying .

The advisor from Austria is very pleased with the updates Red Bull brought to Japan, though. This is the reason for the good result in qualifying according to him. "That we got this upgrade working right away. The fine-tuning did work in the end. And this is why we are in positions one-two."

After several difficult qualifying sessions, Sergio Perez is finally right behind Max Verstappen. This much to Marko's delight. "Better than expected," he said. "Especially after his really bad weekend here last year. He has improved incredibly," said the 80-year-old.