Marko points out the problem: 'Verstappen could have beaten Bottas'

Helmut Marko is looking forward to Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix with a positive feeling. Max Verstappen will start on the first row of the grid, although he sees Valtteri Bottas in front of him. According to Marko, there was a possibility in qualifying that Verstappen had finished ahead of the Finnish Mercedes driver.

Marko states that Red Bull has largely solved the balance problem. Verstappen came a tenth short of Bottas' time. "The battery management in Q3 was not great. Max could have beaten Bottas and been closer to Hamilton," Marko said.

Hamilton meets fast drivers

Hamilton will have to start from 11th place due to a grid penalty after changing his internal combustion engine. In front of the seven-time world champion are four Honda drivers with Verstappen, Pierre Gasly, Sergio Perez and Yuki Tsunoda. Marko is hoping these drivers can slow Hamilton's advance, but he is also hoping for 'help from the competition.

"We also still have Leclerc and Alonso. Fernando is not exactly a fan of his [Hamilton's]," Marko said in front of the camera of Sky's German branch. Alonso has already expressed several times that he would rather see Verstappen as world champion in 2021.