The first two free practices at Suzuka have given Red Bull Racing a lot of homework. Helmut Marko addressed Red Bull’s Achilles’ heel after the sessions.
Red Bull adjusted the car’s setup between the two sessions, but even that didn’t help, as a frustrated Marko explained. “Every time the simulator shows something good, the basic setup on the track is off. We should review our processes in the simulator,” he said in conversation with Auto, Motor und Sport. The simulator had suggested a setup that should make Red Bull three tenths faster.
Racing Bulls faster than Red Bull Racing during FP2 in Japan
During the Friday practice sessions in Japan, the Racing Bulls of Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson finished in third and fifth place respectively, with both beating the Red Bull pair Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda.
Marko explained the reason behind the gap: “They have increased the engine power more than Red Bull. That affects the lap times,” said the Red Bull advisor, who saw Lawson finish above Verstappen this time.
On Saturday, Verstappen and Tsunoda have one final FP before qualifying. The third and final free practice of the weekend starts at 03:30 UK time, with qualifying for Sunday’s race scheduled for 07:00. All sessions can be followed on GPblog, where you can also stay up to speed with everything that transpires in the paddock at Suzuka.
