Red Bull F1 motorsport adviser Helmut Marko has dismissed rumors that Mercedes is giving top power units to customer Aston Martin as “nonsense”. At Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso took 3rd place behind Max Ferstappen and Sergio Perez in the GP F1 Bahrain, and AMR23 overwhelmed machines other than Red Bull. Repeated it in the following F1 Saudi Arabia GP, emerging as a top 3 contender in F1 this season.
Aston Martin’s engine department, Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains, deliberately favors the Aston Martin customer, along with Mercedes’ troubles and the view that it will be difficult to win in the first half of the season. There is also the view that But Helmut Marko is argue that this claim is mere nonsense. “Why should Mercedes make its rivals stronger? Nonsense,” Helmut Marko told F1 Insider. “Although we cooperate, Aston Martin is ultimately Mercedes’ competitor in passenger cars,” he said. “From now on, Mercedes will do everything they can to forget their disappointing season opener as soon as possible. certainly no room to help Aston Martin in this ambitious task.” F1 technical regulations require power unit manufacturers to supply the same hardware specifications to all customers. However, this is a point that AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost agrees with. “The rumors are ridiculous,” added Franz Tost. “The regulations clearly state that engine manufacturers must supply the same material to all customers,” he said. “And as far as I know, everyone follows it very carefully. So prioritizing the team is forbidden and unrealistic.”
