Marko explains Red Bull's performance: 'We were surprised by that'

Friday in Turkey didn't go as well as hoped for by Red Bull Racing. Compared to 2020, track conditions have improved, but both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez struggled to find the right balance on Friday. Helmut Marko, however, believes there is an explanation for the problems.

"We were honestly surprised by the high level of grip," the Red Bull chief began his explanation to ServusTV. "We assumed it might be better than last year, but it was so much better that we had problems with the set-up."

He continued: "I hope we can now get close to a solution. Not only was the gap to Hamilton far too big, but the tyre wear was not good either. Both in the short and long runs," explains the 78-year-old Austrian.

"There are two to three corners where we lose specifically to Mercedes. So now it's a matter of making sure we don't lose anything in the rest of the corners, and to catch up in the aforementioned corners," said Marko.