“There are some strong guys: Gasly, Leclerc, Alonso” – Red Bull boss Helmut Marko is hoping Lewis Hamilton finds it difficult to overtake other drivers before he comes up against Max Verstappen tomorrow.
Lewis Hamilton was the fastest during qualifying for the Turkish Grand Prix, followed by Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas and Red Bull arch-rival Max Verstappen.
But he will start tomorrow’s race from P11 instead, after taking a ten-place grid penalty for using a fourth Internal Combustion Engine this season.
But with the pace Mercedes in general and Hamilton in specific has shown, Red Bull and Verstappen ought to be concerned.
Red Bull boss Dr. Helmut Marko is satisfied with their performance though and is positive of matching the Mercedes duo’s pace tomorrow.
“We are satisfied. For the race, we are positive that we can drive at Mercedes’ pace again.
“The pace of Mercedes was already very decent here, but you have to see what the weather is like. So far, nothing has really been right from the forecast.”
Red Bull boss Helmut Marko says @maxverstappen could have beaten @ValtteriBottas to pole. “The battery management in Q3 was not great. Max could have beaten Bottas and been closer to Hamilton.”
— Byron Young (@byronf1) October 9, 2021
Red Bull hoping for a helping hand from Ferrari and Fernando Alonso
For Hamilton to reach Verstappen in P2, he needs to get past former champions Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso, AlphaTauri duo Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly, Lando Norris, Lance Stroll, Charles Leclerc, and Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez.
Marko is especially counting on Gasly, Leclerc, and Alonso to make it difficult for the reigning champion. He expects Alonso to not let Hamilton pass through, given their history as McLaren teammates.
“There are some strong guys: Gasly, Leclerc, Alonso. Alonso is not a big Hamilton fan; we saw that in Budapest.
“I hope [Hamilton’s] not too close to us too soon.”
