“In two to three corners we lose out to Mercedes”– Helmut Marko gives worried feedback about Red Bull’s Free Practices experience in Turkey

“In two to three corners we lose out to Mercedes”– Helmut Marko is worried about Red Bull’s extreme grip and tyre degradation in Turkey.

Red Bull has arrived in Turkey to reclaim its position at the top of the table, as Mercedes takes a grid penalty after installing a new internal combustion engine (ICE) in Lewis Hamilton’s car for this week’s Grand Prix.

However, the Briton goes on to dominate the two free practice sessions, signalling that he can’t be ruled out for a comeback on Sunday. Meanwhile, Red Bull chief Helmut Marko reports some worrying signs for the Milton-Keynes-based team.

“We are surprised by the high grip level. We still have some difficulties in the setup: In two to three corners we lose out to Mercedes in particular. The tyre degradation on one lap & on the longruns is not good either,” said Marko to motorsport-magazin.com.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is only two points behind Hamilton before going into Sunday’s race, and a win in Istanbul would definitely ensure a lead for the Dutchman.

No slip-up Sunday

Verstappen and Hamilton are in a close tied competition, and any slip would end up costing either of the drivers. That is why Mercedes installed a new ICE, as they feared a probable DNF for Hamilton if things stood as it is.

And recently, according to Wolff’s calculations, they would have had to win four out of the next six races to maintain their contention for the championship if hamilton ended up retiring his car in Turkey.

And this season, they have hardly been in a position to win so many races in a row against Verstappen. So, to balance the stakes, they decided to go with a grid penalty that could get them a P2 result.