Helmut Marko has dismissed the potential threat McLaren could present Max Verstappen in the Sprint race at the Belgian Grand Prix. In Sprint Shootout Qualifying, Verstappen managed to pip McLaren's Oscar Piastri to pole by just 0.011s with the final flying lap of the session. Both McLarens of Piastri and fifth-placed Lando Norris had opted for a high-downforce package, which excelled in Sector 2 of the Spa lap where most of the corners are at Spa-Francorchamps. However, this could come back to hurt McLaren if the Sprint and Grand Prix on Sunday are both run in dry conditions owing to the fact that the car will be slow in Sectors 1 and 3 - both dominated by long straights. It is for this reason Marko believes the McLaren threat could be stymied.
McLaren's weakness?
Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko analyzes qualifying in conversation with Sky Deutschland . "It was very close, but it was very difficult conditions. McLaren drove with more wing than us and it showed in sector two. We lost a lot of time there." "But Max found the right compromise between risk and speed. It was close, but at least it was enough." On Friday, the drivers were allowed to use their DRS during qualifying, but the DRS remained closed on Saturday. DRS is seen as one of Red Bull's main weapons on the long straights. Marko: "DRS helps because we are definitely better in terms of top speed, but the biggest difference was in McLaren 's wing setup . If it stays dry I think they have a problem." The McLaren team is making a very impressive advance and Marko therefore expects a lot from the orange cars: "McLaren looks like the biggest competitor and they also have good tire management, at Ferrari that causes problems over the entire race distance. I I am also a bit surprised that Hamilton is not further up front." The sprint race starts at 5:05 PM, but rain will probably fall again in the Ardennes before then. "It will rain again in the afternoon, but it is very difficult to predict here," said weatherman Marko. "It was very close and difficult conditions and McLaren had more [rear]-wing than us, it showed in Sector 2 and we lost a lot of time there," Marko told Sky Germany. "DRS (which was disabled throughout the session) helps because we are definitely better in terms of top speed, but the biggest difference was in McLaren's wing set-up. If it stays dry, they have a problem. "They look like the biggest competitor and have good tyre management, which is a problem for Ferrari over the entire race distance. "I'm also surprised that [Lewis] Hamilton is not further up the grid [from seventh]."
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