Marko is 'still confident: 'Didn't go as easy as tests'

Where things looked rosy for Red Bull during the winter tests, that was not the case on Thursday. Both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez failed to impress. Mercedes did look tremendously strong especially in the second free practice. How does Helmut Marko look back on the first day in Bahrain?

The whole day was difficult for Verstappen. During FP1, he mainly complained about upshifting and downshifting. The three-time world champion finished sixth on mediums, while the top-four set times on softs. During the second free practice, Mercedes was suddenly there with fast times. Lewis Hamilton in particular managed to impress. He was 0.477 seconds faster than Max Verstappen on the red-rimmed rubber.

Strong Mercedes

Marko let German Motorsport-Magazin.com know afterwards that he is not immediately afraid of Mercedes. "It was not as easy today as it was during testing, but we are still confident. I still believe Ferrari will be very strong during qualifying. In terms of race pace, I still think we are the strongest team."

But before it's time for the race, qualifying follows on Friday afternoon. How much of a chance does the RB20 have there? " It's all going to be close," said the 80-year-old consultant.