Marko bemoans ‘rare Verstappen mistake’ that handed Perez surprise success

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko believes “a rare mistake” from Max Verstappen proved costly in qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and handed team-mate Sergio Perez a surprise advantage.

For the first time in 33 grands prix, stretching back to the race in Miami in early May last year, Perez will start ahead of Verstappen after the pair qualified fourth and sixth respectively.

Marko was left disappointed as he felt Verstappen had the pace in his RB20 to have comfortably joined Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on the front row after the Monégasque was three-tenths of a second quicker than his nearest rival, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.

The three-time F1 champion, however, made an error through Turn 16 in Q3 that saw slide and ride over the corner’s kerb, costing him an estimated six-tenths of a second that would have been enough for P2.

“The positive is that we found speed again, although Max made a rare mistake,” reviewed Marko in speaking to 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.”

Despite the grid positions of the two Red Bull drivers, Marko is confident that with the pace in the car, and given the nature of the Baku Street Circuit, particularly with its long start-finish straight, Perez and Verstappen will make progress.

“You can overtake here,” said Marko, before adding: “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.”

Despite the ongoing issues with the disconnected balance of the car, Marko at least felt it “drives better here”, although it arguably played a part in Verstappen’s problems at Turn 16.

“It could be, for example, that Max has had a problem in Turn 16 all weekend,” he said. “But sometimes you just have corners that don’t suit you. It was the same last year, so you will always have that.”