Helmut Marko, Red Bull F1’s motorsport advisor, denied a performance difference with Mercedes F1. At the F1 Qatar GP, the team claims to have lost their way in the setup and made a mistake.
The 2021 F1 World Championship will mark its final two rounds in the Middle East with sensational, closeness and unprecedented tension. Max Verstappen has virtually no advantage of 8 points.
“If Lewis wins the last two races, he will win the championship, and he knows that,” Niki Lauda’s son Mathias Lauda told Serbus TV.
Sure, Lewis Hamilton has an eight-point beard against Max Verstappen, but his performance advantage seems to be widespread.
Red Bull F1 Helmut Marko is aware of the danger, but downplays the reported performance differences between the two teams.
“We made a mistake in Qatar,” said Helmut Marko.
“In the first practice session, I was 0.4 seconds ago. After that, I got lost.”
“On the other hand, Hamilton gradually improved and implemented the performance of the machine as needed.”
“In the third practice session, we suddenly lost 0.3 seconds in the first corner.”
Meanwhile, Mercedes’ big advantage of straight-line speed in Brazil suddenly seemed to decline significantly in Qatar.
“We approached each other at top speed. There was no disadvantage for the first time in a few weeks,” Helmut Marko said.
Red Bull F1 officials suggest that part of the rebound in that disadvantage is due to the FIA’s restraining of the suspected flexibility of the Mercedes rear wing.
Red Bull F1 even claims that Mercedes has abandoned the problematic rear wing in Qatar in order to pass the new test.
“That’s not true,” a Mercedes F1 team source told AutoMotor und Sport.
“I haven’t changed the wing. In any case, the wing was solid. I could have loaded 100 kg, so next time Red Bull will demand 105 kg.”
However, in reality, it may be the truth that Mercedes did not install a new engine that Helmut Marko called a “rocket” in Lewis Hamilton in Qatar after the F1 Brazilian Grand Prix.
Then, in the next round F1 Saudi Arabian GP and the final round F1 Abu Dhabi GP, the “rocket” will be returned to Lewis Hamilton’s machine.
“There will be our sweet and fresh engine unpacking,” confirmed Toto Wolff, Mercedes F1 team representative.
“It’s a strong message to Red Bull,” said Mathias Lauda.
Category: Category: F1 / Red bull / Honda F1 / F1 Qatar GP
