P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Red Bull seemed to finish a nice Friday in Mexico. In the representative second practice, Max Verstappen was the fastest man, with Yuki Tsunoda in seventh but Helmut Marko is still not happy.
Helmut Marko emphasized the need for Red Bull to enhance its long-run pace at the Mexican GP, despite Max Verstappen leading FP2. Verstappen set the fastest lap during the qualifying simulation but struggled on medium tires for long-run performance compared to McLaren. Marko, acknowledging McLaren’s superiority in tyre management, urged for improvements before Saturday’s race. He highlighted that although Red Bull is competitive over a single lap, there is still significant work required, especially on medium compound tires. Marko noted that the challenges stem from balance and grip rather than external factors like temperature. Additionally, Marko expressed concern over championship leader Oscar Piastri’s performance, who finished 12th and seemed to face difficulties on Friday but remained hopeful that both Piastri and Red Bull can overcome their respective issues before the race.
