Helmut Marko sees that Red Bull Racing is on the right track, but the Austrian team's advisor doesn't want to sing victory any time soon. Marko says that only seven Grand Prix have been contested and that a lot can still happen in the 2022 world championship. Even Mercedes is still seriously considered.
Helmut Marko sees that Red Bull Racing is on the right track, but the Austrian team's advisor doesn't want to sing victory any time soon. Marko says that only seven Grand Prix have been contested and that a lot can still happen in the 2022 world championship. Even Mercedes is still seriously considered.
When asked if the champagne is already chilled, Marko replies, "Nonsense. I just calculated: fifteen races are still ahead of us. Even Russell is only 41 points behind Verstappen. Everything is still possible," says the 79-year-old from Graz.
This year it is especially important to continue to develop the car well, because there is still a lot of potential to unlock due to the fact that it is being driven under new regulations.
Marko, therefore, does not want to rule Mercedes out of the battle for the drivers' and constructors' titles just yet. "Their car is getting faster every day, their best times are already on our level or even better. So you really can't rule them out. If Mercedes suddenly dominates everything again, Hamilton will also come back," he commented.
The seven-time world champion has a bigger gap on Verstappen than teammate Russell: 75 points is the margin between Hamilton and Verstappen at the moment. Russell seems to have the advantage within Mercedes anyway. Marko has also noted this, but at Red Bull they think Hamilton will grow during the season.