12/04/2025 22:15
Helmut Marko has explained Max Verstappen was nursing an issue with
his Red Bull during qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix,
something the team will discuss with the FIA. The Dutchman
qualified seventh in Sakhir. The saving grace for the Dutchman is
that championship rival Lando Norris could only claim sixth,
despite the prowess of his McLaren MCL39. However, it appears that
Verstappen's RB21 was not firing on all cylinders at the Bahrain
International Circuit, something the team will need to investigate.
After a few niggles in Q2, the four-time world champion had "huge
braking problems in Q3", according to Marko, who was keen to
emphasise the performance of Yuki Tsunoda in the other Red Bull.
"Let's start on a positive note," the 81-year-old told Sky Sports
Germany. "Tsunoda finished in the top ten, but Max was not
satisfied. "He had some problems in Q2 and huge braking problems in
Q3. You could see that in the data. So far we have no explanation
for it." Red Bull to hold discussions with FIA Marko shared his
confusion at how qualified played out, with the Mercedes of George
Russell running Oscar Piastri close for pole and Norris in the
other McLaren well off his team-mate's pace. However, he is more
concerned with getting to the bottom of Verstappen's brake issue.
The Austrian stated that Red Bull will engage the FIA in
discussions about changing the brake pads on the RB21, despite Parc
Ferme conditions. "George Russell is on the same level as Oscar
Piastri and Lando Norris is next to Max," he said. "We don't
understand that. It will be an interesting race. "First we have to
find out what caused the brake problem. Then we have to discuss
with the FIA whether you can adjust the brake pads, grind them off
or install them."
