The differential problem cost us the Bahrain Grand Prix: Helmut Marko

Helmut Marko is not the one who crushes words. In his interview with formel1.de, the head of Red Bull’s driver development program claimed that Red Bull currently has the fastest car on the grid. The Austrian also said he was already a fan of Sergio Perez and Yuki Tsunoda after the Bahrain Grand Prix.

When Helmut Marko talked about the first race of the season, he found that the team had been faced with a multitude of problems throughout the weekend that cost Red Bull at various stages.

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The Austrian alluded to the damaged floor that Max Verstappen had to overcome in qualifying. He also spoke about a differential problem in Max Verstappen’s car at the start of the race. According to Helmut Marko, Max Verstappen complained about a differential problem from Turn 1 of the Bahrain International Circuit. This may have contributed to Red Bull’s inability to fill a significant gap with the Silver Arrows in the early stages of the race.

We lost up to three tenths due to the problem: Helmut Marko

Helmut Marko spoke about the problems that plagued the team throughout the weekend:

“As you saw, part of it flew away in qualifying because it went too far in a corner. That made a small difference, maybe an 8% downforce loss. So it wasn’t a big deal. Which was more serious at the beginning . ” The race was that there were problems in the differential area. In Sector 1 we lost up to three tenths per lap drastically. Incidentally, the same applied to Pérez. Not only was there less grip, but the rear wheels were spinning and the tires got hot. “

Helmut Marko spoke about the effects of the differential problem on the racing process and said:

“At this stage we did not succeed in opening the gap that we would have needed to avoid an undercut. Instead, we lost 2.5 to 1.7 seconds. That was the crucial phase of the first stint, in which we were clearly disadvantaged. “

The problems the team faced throughout the weekend resulted in Red Bull giving away the victory to the reigning champions despite having a faster car. Mercedes had one of the most reliable cars in the turbo-hybrid era, and that is unlikely to change this season. If the team wants to challenge the reigning champions, Red Bull cannot afford to lose time in the race due to reliability issues. The team will be looking for a quieter and more reliable run at the next Imola Grand Prix.

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