Helmut Marko rules Ferrari out of the podium battle at Zandvoort
After the summer break, Formula 1 immediately delivered surprises during both Free Practice sessions of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, with Aston Martin standing out as one of the most impressive teams on track. While McLaren dominated the headlines thanks to Lando Norris, who set the fastest time in both FP1 and FP2, supported by Oscar Piastri taking second place in the first session, Aston Martin also made its presence felt. The Silverstone-based team managed to secure a spot on the ‘podium’ in both practice sessions, with Lance Stroll taking third in FP1 and Fernando Alonso stunning the field with second place in FP2.
Stroll and Alonso surprise at Zandvoort
The performances of the two Aston Martin drivers did not go unnoticed, either by fans or by Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko. The Austrian commented on the situation on a day that also saw Max Verstappen make a rare mistake in FP1, before finishing only fifth in front of his home crowd. For Marko, these results and the overall pace trends offered several important insights.
Helmut Marko’s analysis
The first point, which Marko considered indisputable when speaking to the media after FP2, concerned the potential of McLaren. “I think they are untouchable. McLaren are out of reach. On average, they are three or four tenths faster,” he explained. This clear advantage placed the Woking team in a category of its own for the weekend.
The second key takeaway for Marko was the progress made by Aston Martin. He highlighted how the team has significantly improved since the Hungarian Grand Prix and now looks capable of fighting with Red Bull and Mercedes for podium positions. “Aston Martin is surprisingly fast, so I think it will be a fight for third place between them, us, and Mercedes. Since Budapest something has changed, and it turned out to be really effective,” Marko said, recognizing the leap forward made by the Silverstone squad.
Red Bull’s outlook for the Dutch Grand Prix
Looking ahead to the race, Helmut Marko remained cautiously optimistic about Red Bull’s chances of finishing in the top three, while admitting the RB21 still suffers from balance issues. “The harder the compound, the better it is for us. It’s going to be a medium to hard race with a one-stop strategy, so our hopes are pointing in that direction. I think the picture is quite clear: we have to solve our balance problems, but Alonso looks really fast. Normally, it takes until Saturday for our setup to work, so we stay optimistic for third place,” the Red Bull advisor concluded.
