For the first time since 2011, Red Bull Racing started the season with a win – Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez gave the team a winning double in Bahrain. In an interview with Austria’s OE24, Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko summed up the lap at Sakhir circuit and refuted George Russell’s suggestion that the team would win all races of the season.
Question: What conclusions did you draw after the stage in Bahrain?
Helmut Marko: It is clear that Mercedes has more than one problem. They have made no progress compared to last year. Moreover, you can even say that they have taken a step back.
Q: How can you explain this?
Helmut MarkoA: Apparently they missed something. I wonder how they behave now. Due to budget constraints, developing the machine itself has become a daunting task. How do they plan to build a brand new car? Only if they have a magic wand, which is unlikely given recent experience.
Q: What do you think of third place Fernando Alonso?
Helmut Marko: We saw the third Red Bull car on the podium! (laughs)
Q: Why do you think so?
Helmut Marko: The Aston Martin car is very similar to Red Bull, because many experts from us have moved to them. They have almost the same car as last year’s Red Bull.
Q: Do you think Alonso will win races again?
Helmut Marko: Depends on what kind of car he has at his disposal. The battle with Lewis Hamilton was totally worth it – tough but fair with an incredible level of skill.
By the way, I wanted to show Max a replay of their battle, but he said he saw it all on the big screens when he was leading the race.
Q: Does the current joining of forces remind you of Mercedes’ dominance?
Helmut Marko: The difference is that we got an engine from Renault at the time, which was 50 hp. weaker. Mercedes had no such difficulties.
Q: Toto Wolff noticed that your car has almost no tire wear, and this should worry the rest of the teams…
Helmut Marko: Perhaps he is not mistaken. By the way, after the finish I didn’t see a drop of sweat on Max.
Q: Mercedes believes Red Bull Racing will win every race this year. Do you agree with this assessment?
Helmut Marko: Nonsense, you can’t say that after the first race. It is enough to make a mistake with the settings, as we did in Brazil last year, and everything will change.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
