Marko details “massive problem” that caused Verstappen’s Bahrain qualifying struggles

Helmut Marko has revealed a “massive problem” with Max Verstappen’s braking system on his Red Bull which led to a disappointing qualifying, with the Dutchman only seventh on the grid for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

“It was worse than expected because we changed a few things on the car which we thought would be an improvement, then all of a sudden we had this brake problem,” Marko told reporters after the session.

“It was a massive problem, they could see it on the data, but we don’t know where it came from.”

The Red Bull advisor said that Yuki Tsunoda, who qualified 10th, didn’t suffer any problems. “It was only Max’s car,” he explained.

Viewers heard Verstappen complaining on the team radio about his “terrible” brakes, however Marko said the braking issue had “nothing to do” with the car’s new set-up: “It was not a smooth qualifying, but both cars were in the top 10, so that was a good achievement. And without the braking problems, it would have been P3 or P4.”

Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing, Helmut Marko, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Mark Thompson - Getty Images

Meanwhile, Marko praised Tsunoda’s Q3 performance, noting that the Japanese driver has been “going in the right direction” since his promotion to Red Bull last weekend.

“His first lap was deleted [for track limits] and he still didn't lose his nerves, he stayed calm, and he was improving continuously,” he said. “That's what we're expecting from him.”

The Austrian also praised rookie Isack Hadjar’s “very competitive” performance in the RB. “Points are still possible,” he said of the 20-year-old Frenchman, who will start from P12 tomorrow.

As for Liam Lawson, who was unceremoniously replaced by Tsunoda last week, Marko said he was “slowly coming up to speed.” He curtly added: “Generally that is OK.”