Nicole MulderManaging Editor
Nicole Mulder is Managing Editor at GPblog and a specialist in Formula 1 and MotoGP. With years of experience and permanent FIA accreditation at Grands Prix worldwide, she delivers reliable coverage and insights based on direct access to drivers and the F1 paddock.
No battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris for pole position at Silverstone. Instead, George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Norris made up the top three. Verstappen still managed to qualify on the second row despite damage to his RB20, an immense achievement according to Helmut Marko.
Marko applauds Verstappen's performance
Marko says Verstappen was missing a lot of downforce after his floor was "significantly damaged" by a trip through the gravel in Q1. "He had much less downforce. With a quick repair from the mechanics, some adjustments and a different wing and so on, we were able to reduce the downforce a lot," Marko is quoted by Motorsport-Total.com.
Verstappen thus drove with a considerable handicap, but nevertheless managed to make it to the second row of the grid. " Fourth place is sensational," jubilates Marko. The Red Bull consultant says Red Bull does not have a similar floor ready to replace it, but does not expect that to be a major problem.
Indeed, the new floor would only be half a tenth faster than the old one. So there are two options: "Either we fix it, or we switch to another type of floor," Marko said.
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This article is written in collaboration with Sophia Crothall.
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