Marko details ‘impossible’ task facing Verstappen

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has stated overtaking will be an “impossible” achievement around Zandvoort during the Dutch Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen will take the start of the race from second place on the grid, sharing the front row with pole-sitter Lando Norris.

Norris bested Verstappen by well over three-tenths of a second en route to his fourth career pole position on Saturday.

Explaining Verstappen's qualifying outing, Marko pinpointed one particular corner as the Dutchman's biggest downfall during the lap. 

“After the somewhat bumpy practice sessions, I think we went in the right direction,” Marko told ServusTV. 

“It looked very good until Turn 12. There Max lost one and a half to two tenths. And that's a relatively big gap for this circuit

"But the car as a whole is quieter. That also means that tyre wear for the race will probably be better now. At least we have split the McLaren. We're satisfied, even if we're not quite that anyway."

Marko pinpointed the run to the opening corner as crucial for the outcome of the race as he expects overtaking to be a challenging task.

"We saw how difficult it was to overtake at Spa,” he said. “It will probably be impossible here. 

“He knows Max is strong and it will definitely be an interesting first corner."