Marko pinpoints Verstappen problem in Abu Dhabi: 'Perez is faster'

Red Bull Advisor Helmut Marko has pinpointed an area where Sergio Perez has the edge over Max Verstappen, following practice for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The second practice session was the first time Verstappen took to the circuit, after giving up his seat in FP1 for rookie Jake Dennis.

After two lengthy red flag delays for crashes involving Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg, the drivers only managed to get 25 minutes of actual on-track running with Verstappen completing 17 laps.

Perez set a quicker first sector compared to Verstappen during the Soft tyre runs in the final quarter of FP2.

According to Marko, Verstappen is losing most of his time in the opening sector of the lap:

"All in Turn 1, that's it. He has little grip at the front," Marko explained of Verstappen's problems to Motorsport Magazine.

Leclerc is Verstappen's biggest threat

Verstappen was heard complaining about his car bouncing "like a kangaroo" in the final sector, however Marko dismissed it being any major issue for them.

"It doesn't look all that bad though," said Red Bull's Motorsport Advisor.

"In Sector 3 it's fine. In Sector 1, Perez is two-tenths of a second faster. That's where the problem lies."