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Helmut Marko has issued a warning to Ferrari ahead of Sunday\u2019s Italian Grand Prix, suggesting that Red Bull sacrificed pole position to focus on race pace. Max Verstappen could only manage a P2 finish in qualifying on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The Dutch driver was the fastest qualifier in seven of the last eight races, starting from the pole in six of those Grands Prix after taking a grid penalty and conceding pole position to Charles Leclerc at the Belgian Grand Prix prior to the summer break.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately for Verstappen, he missed out on pole position for the third time in the space of four races on Saturday after he was pipped to the top spot in qualifying by Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, who became the third non-Red Bull driver to top qualifying this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Speaking to ORF Sport<\/em> about the qualifying outcome, Marko revealed: \u201cWe already knew that Ferrari would be strong and we never really focused on pole position.<\/p>\n Click here to join our WhatsApp community to be the first to receive breaking and exclusive F1 news.<\/strong><\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> Nico Rosberg accuses Charles Leclerc of making ‘politics mistake’ at Italian GP[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cLooking at how we went about it with the set-up, for the race it is a lot more important [than for qualifying]. With these positions, we have a good tactical and strategic advantage.”<\/p>\n This strategy is far from unusual for Red Bull in 2023. The Milton Keynes-based team sacrificed qualifying time for race pace in Baku and at the Hungaroring this season, conceding pole to Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton on those occasions.<\/p>\n However, on race day the RB19 was unstoppable with both Sergio Perez and Verstappen rapidly passing Leclerc in Baku and Hamilton\u2019s lead lasting fewer than a single corner on the opening lap in Hungary. Red Bull went on to win both Grands Prix comfortably.<\/p>\n More F1… <\/strong> We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n Listening to Verstappen\u2019s post-qualifying interview, it was clear to see that the Dutchman wasn\u2019t too fazed by losing out on pole position. He explained: \u201cIt was good, I think we made some good improvements compared to yesterday.<\/p>\n “You could see in every Qualifying session it was very tight, so I\u2019m happy to be second today. It\u2019s nice to see (Ferrari on the pole in Monza), but of course tomorrow we\u2019ll try to win the race. Normally we have a quicker race car, but let\u2019s just enjoy today and then we\u2019ll focus on tomorrow.”<\/p>\n The Dutchman is looking to break the record for the most consecutive race wins in F1 history on Sunday. He\u2019ll move clear of Sebastian Vettel\u2019s nine-win record if he can see off the threat of Ferrari at Monza.<\/p>\n
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Sky Sports apologise after sweary Ferrari boss ‘tried all week to calm everyone'[ITALIAN GP] <\/strong><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/73\/590x\/secondary\/Carlos-Sainz-Ferrari-4940887.jpg?r=1693753877095\")
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