Helmut Marko has confirmed that Red Bull know what went wrong during second practice for the Austrian Grand Prix. Having dominated FP1, Max Verstappen was 0.217 seconds behind Hamilton in the afternoon session whilst Sergio Perez was down in 11th, as Mercedes had a 1-2. Marko has given some insight into Red Bull's surprise lack of pace. "Mercedes has showed itself a bit more this afternoon," Mark told Servus TV. "We had some problems, or at least, we didn't come into our own that well on the soft tyres compared to what we expected. But we know what's wrong." However, Verstappen's pace on the long runs was very strong which bodes well for Sunday if it's dry and Marko thinks most drivers are unlikely to use the soft tyres, which is a step softer than last week, due to the high tyre degradation. "The long run was very good and we saw how much he gained on the Mercedes at the end of the stings," said Marko. "It will be another very exciting weekend, but we remain confident. "If we qualify on the medium tyres, then we will not see the soft tyres. After about 10 to 12 laps, those tyres clearly lose performance." Rain fell during second practice session which caused a few drivers to go off the track including Hamilton. Marko praised the way Verstappen adapted to the tricky conditions but feels Perez has work to do. "With Max we stayed on the track for a long time," explained Marko. "Then we saw Hamilton going off the track and we also saw that Bottas was struggling. "Under those tough conditions Verstappen showed again how good he is. Also the setup he has is very good, so with him we don't expect any problems. Sergio, on the other hand, has a bit more trouble."
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