Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko rued Max Verstappen’s “rare mistake” in qualifying costing him a potential front-row starting spot at Formula 1’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Verstappen endured a disappointing outing as he bemoaned set-up changes triggering accentuated bouncing which saw him slump to an underwhelming sixth place.
However, the Dutchman could have still ended up much higher without a crucial mistake on his opening attempt in Q3 which saw him straddle the exit kerb at Turn 16.
Marko has estimated that Verstappen, who qualified behind team-mate Sergio Perez for the first time in 33 rounds, might have seized second place without that error.
“The positive is that we found speed again, although Max made a rare mistake,” Marko told Sky Sports DE.
“At Turn 16 he lost six-tenths as a result, but without that mistake, a second place would have been really possible.”
Marko has denied that Verstappen’s uncharacteristic blunder derived from Red Bull’s ongoing balance issues, highlighting that the RB20 has been “driving better here”.
“It could be, for example, that Max has had a problem in Turn 16 all weekend,” he explained.
“But sometimes you just have corners that don’t suit you. It was the same last year, so you will always have that.”
But while Red Bull will line up fourth and sixth, Marko is certain that Baku’s extensive start-finish straight and the chaos that tends to ensue will provide opportunities.
“You can overtake here,” he acknowledged. “Sergio’s long runs looked good, especially in terms of tyre wear.
“So there is a real chance that we can still make progress during the race, and besides, you can always expect a Safety Car here as well.”
Meanwhile, Perez, who will be gunning to attain his first podium since the Miami Grand Prix, believes that Red Bull will boast a more competitive package in race trim.
“I wish that Max was on pole instead of Charles [Leclerc, being] four-tenths ahead, and it makes you feel a little bit more comfortable within the car, that the potential is there,” he said.
“Unfortunately, it’s not the case at the moment. I think in race pace, I’m optimistic.
“We saw [on Friday], we were more competitive, but we were also more competitive over a single timed lap.
“What we saw from Ferrari today was very strong, but hopefully tomorrow, in the long race, things come more to us.”
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