Helmut Marko reveals Red Bull confusion after Max Verstappen difficulties

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has revealed that the outfit is unsure why its pace was so much weaker than McLaren's and Ferrari's in qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix. 

Following a difficult opening day, Max Verstappen returned towards the top of the timesheets in second practice, where he secured P2. 

However, Red Bull struggled in qualifying at the Circuit de Monaco, with Verstappen having no choice but to settle for fifth on the grid but a staggering seven-tenths adrift. 

Whilst Marko identified that the RB21 failed to find enough grip, himself and the Milton Keynes-based team are unsure where so much pace was lost.

"We don't know exactly ourselves," Marko told Sky DE. "We just didn't have the necessary grip at the crucial moment. The car started sliding more and more, especially in the last sector. 

"After the third practice, we were actually hoping for the front row or third place. However, the gap was obvious. We could not have set those times."

Despite having to settle for fifth, Verstappen was, once again, the top Red Bull driver. Yuki Tsunoda was eliminated in Q2 and will start provisionally from 12th.

However, as confirmed by Marko, Tsunoda is without the full upgrades package following his huge Imola crash.

"The updates we had in Imola were for two cars and with his crash he obviously messed up the whole parts structure," added Marko. 

"We had to bring him back to the setup from before. Max has priority, but in this short period of time you just can't ramp up production so that you have enough parts for both cars."