Helmut Marko not impressed by Ferrari’s race pace at Suzuka: “They like to run with less fuel”. Red Bull's Helmut Marko does not seem to be impressed by Ferrari's race pace in FP1.

Helmut Marko, the super consultant of Red Bull, does not seem to be impressed by Ferrari’s race pace after the first two Free Practice sessions ahead of the 2024 Formula 1 Japanese F1 Grand Prix. Testing sessions were conditioned by unstable weather and low temperatures, as well as the ugly incident involving Logan Sargeant. Teams therefore have just a few references in FP2, while FP1 had shown a very fast SF-24 in terms of race pace. Mercedes and McLaren also performed well, in a weekend that promises to be competitive.

The first kilometers on the Suzuka track paint an encouraging picture. There hasn’t yet been a clear dominance from Red Bull, despite being considered as favorite to win the Japanese round after the setback in Australia. Surprisingly, aside from an apparently excellent Mercedes, Ferrari’s race pace has also impressed. The SF-24 has shown comfort among the twists of the winding Japanese circuit, which is certainly not trivial.

But how worried should Red Bull be? Helmut Marko answers, as reported by Motorsport-Magazin: “At Red Bull, we are very satisfied with how things went. The package of updates we brought seems to have worked. Indeed, Ferrari was impressive in the long run. Charles Leclerc was the second fastest. But it’s not realistic: Ferrari likes to run with less fuel…”

The Austrian doesn’t miss a chance to poke fun at rivals, in a tight battle both on track and in statements to the media. Nevertheless, there remains satisfaction regarding the performance of the RB20: “We just need to perfect the setup, hoping that the weather will be better tomorrow,” confessed Helmut Marko, confident that Max Verstappen can secure an easy victory at the Suzuka circuit.

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For Scuderia Ferrari, it will be a crucial weekend in Japan. Keeping pace with Red Bull and managing to confirm themselves as (at least) the second force even at Suzuka is a very important test for the Italian side. If the Maranello team manages to do so, in addition to confirming the solid potential of the SF-24 project, crucial also for the 2025 World Championship, it would mean being able to put pressure on the Milton Keynes team in the two title races.

Source: f1ingenerale