Marko explains why Verstappen's three tenths gap from McLaren do not worry Red Bull

After what happened in Canada and with George Russell setting the fastest time in the first free practice session, some began to hope that McLaren might no longer be as dominant as it was in the first third of the season.

However, the 1:04.580 lap set by Lando Norris ahead of his teammate is clear proof that the papaya team remains unquestionably the benchmark on the grid. Max Verstappen settled for third with a three-tenths gap.

When asked what conclusions he could draw after the first day on track, Helmut Marko told the media, including GPBlog: ''We are a bit nearer to McLaren, but still they are the favourites. Let's see if we can find something in the car, but it's very tight, I think.''

Despite the big gap, Marko doesn’t seem particularly concerned about it: ''We believe it's not three tenths. It's less, fuel corrected, but it's still we are behind so it's clear''.

And about race pace: ''(We are) competitive but it all depends on Sunday how you can keep your tires alive and how long. Max) was happy. You didn't hear him complaining''.

When asked whether the new updates introduced on the RB21 have already delivered the expected results, Marko finally replied: ''Basically, yes. I mean, it's not a big step, but the direction gives us hope.''