Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko is counting on Fernando Alonso and several other drivers to hamper Lewis Hamilton's recovery efforts in the Turkish Grand Prix. Hamilton posted the fastest time in Saturday's qualifying session at Istanbul Park, but will drop to 11th on the grid, having taken on his fourth Internal Combustion Engine of the season this weekend. As such, Hamilton's Mercedes teammate, Valtteri Bottas, moves into pole position, while title rival Max Verstappen completes the front row, looking to take full advantage of Hamilton's midfield start. Having struggled for pace in Friday's dry running, Marko praised Red Bull's recovery overnight, and is confident that the team can be even closer to Mercedes in race trim. "We are satisfied," Marko told Sky Sport Germany after qualifying. "For the race, we are positive that we can drive at Mercedes' pace again." On the subject of Hamilton's recovery drive, Marko said: "The pace of Mercedes was already very decent here, but you have to see what the weather is like. So far, nothing has really been right from the forecast." Aside from the weather, Marko reckons the likes of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc (third on the grid), AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly (fourth) and Alpine driver Alonso (fifth), who robustly fended off Hamilton earlier this season in Hungary , can all play a role on Sunday. "There are some strong guys: Gasly, Leclerc, Alonso," added Marko. "Alonso is not a big Hamilton fan; we saw that in Budapest. "I hope [Hamilton's] not too close to us too soon." There could be a further change to the grid for Sunday's race, however, with Alonso summoned to the stewards for allegedly failing to slow for yellow flags during qualifying.
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