Marko also expects a two-stop strategy: "Incredibly fast degradation"

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12:15, 23 Oct 2021

Friday's United States Grand Prix was a tumultuous day for Red Bull Racing. During FP1 Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen had little grip. In FP2 this was partly solved. Helmut Marko predicts a tough Sunday in spite of this.

Tough Friday for Red Bull

It was Perez who set the fastest time in FP2. That gives renewed hope to the Austrian team fighting with Mercedes for the constructors' title. The longruns also looked good in the afternoon.

Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport Team Advisor Marko further explained: "It's difficult to find the right set-up for our car. In the morning we had no grip, especially in the slow corners. Then we adjusted the set-up, and those measures worked."

Tyre wear plays a crucial role

As expected at the Circuit of the Americas, tyre wear will play a major role. Marko therefore expects a two-stop battle on Sunday. "The medium and the soft compound wear out incredibly quickly," said Marko.

Pos.	Driver	Team	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli Kimi Antonelli	MercedesMER	131
2	George Russell George Russell	MercedesMER	88
3	Charles Leclerc Charles Leclerc	FerrariFER	75
4	Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton	FerrariFER	72
5	Lando Norris Lando Norris	McLarenMCL	58
6	Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri	McLarenMCL	48
7	Max Verstappen Max Verstappen	Red Bull RacingRBR	43
8	Pierre Gasly Pierre Gasly	AlpineALP	20
9	Oliver Bearman Oliver Bearman	HaasHAA	18
10	Liam Lawson Liam Lawson	Racing BullsRCB	16
11	Franco Colapinto Franco Colapinto	AlpineALP	15
12	Isack Hadjar Isack Hadjar	Red Bull RacingRBR	14
13	Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz	WilliamsWIL	6
14	Arvid Lindblad Arvid Lindblad	Racing BullsRCB	5
15	Gabriel Bortoleto Gabriel Bortoleto	AudiAUD	2
16	Esteban Ocon Esteban Ocon	HaasHAA	1
17	Alexander Albon Alexander Albon	WilliamsWIL	1
18	Nico Hulkenberg Nico Hulkenberg	AudiAUD	0
19	Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Bottas	CadillacCAD	0
20	Sergio Perez Sergio Perez	CadillacCAD	0
21	Lance Stroll Lance Stroll	Aston MartinAST	0
22	Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso	Aston MartinAST	0

Marko also expects a two-stop strategy: "Incredibly fast degradation"

Tough Friday for Red Bull

Tyre wear plays a crucial role

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