Marko triumphant: "I hope they don't have it fixed tomorrow"

Red Bull Racing is obviously happy after the first and second free practice sessions in Baku. The first session was led by Max Verstappen, the second by Sergio Perez. Mercedes were nowhere to be seen, especially in the second session. The German team has some time to solve their problems before qualifying on Saturday.

The long runs, especially those of Lewis Hamilton, were not bad at all. The world champion didn't seem happy with the car though, and he didn't manage to set a fast lap time in the second free practice.

Helmut Marko makes no secret of his satisfaction with the first day in Azerbaijan. "The car seems very competitive, both in the short and long runs," he says in conversation with Motorsport.com. He also lets it be known that he is very satisfied with Perez, who according to Marko was competitive from his very first lap.

That Mercedes had a difficult Friday only makes it better for Red Bull. Toto Wolff and his team will have to try and solve the problems they encountered quickly, although as far as Marko is concerned they don't have to. "I don't hope they'll have solved it tomorrow," he says grinning. "In any case, they no longer have an engine that is a second faster on the straight."