Marko: Red Bull 'euphoria' evaporated in Monaco practice

Red Bull Motorsport Advisor Helmut Marko has revealed how the team's Friday practice running at the Monaco Grand Prix was hampered by pre-event simulator sessions.

Max Verstappen ended the day fastest of all after a resurgent second practice having struggled throughout the first session.

The two-time F1 World Champion was left frustrated by balance and ride issues for the duration of the opening 60 minutes of running, suggesting he had to pit for changes to his RB19 before he 'shunted'.

"The problem was the setup we took over from the simulator," Marko told media, including RacingNews365.com.

"This gave us euphoria on Wednesday, but in reality, it didn't work out well. Now we are heading in the right direction. The set-up is not optimal yet, but it looks pretty good."

Leclerc biggest competitor

Whilst Red Bull has dominated each of the first five races this season, rivals Aston Martin, Ferrari and Mercedes have provided stiff opposition in qualifying.

With focus heavily weighted towards Saturday's session at the principality given the limited overtaking opportunities on race day, the trio of teams have targeted this weekend as the best chance of denying Red Bull victory.

Assessing the opposition, Marko insisted: "Leclerc is the biggest competitor. Ferrari is stronger in the slow corners and has better traction. Mercedes doesn't look bad with Hamilton, but it's striking that the other car has so many problems.

"Alonso didn't have an optimal lap, he had a lot of traffic. We didn't have an optimal lap either. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't on the limit."