The fierce rivalry between Red Bull and Mercedes in Formula One continues to intensify, with both teams exchanging biting comments about each other’s performances. Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko joins the fray.
As Max Verstappen’s winning streak continues, Mercedes have taken to downplaying the significance of his victories. However, Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko is unfazed by Mercedes’ comments, insisting that they are not yet considered a serious contender.
Red Bull dominance sparks Mercedes criticism
As Max Verstappen’s dominance in Formula One reaches historic proportions, Mercedes have responded with scepticism and criticism. Mercedes motorsport director Toto Wolff downplayed Verstappen’s string of victories, suggesting they were ” for Wikipedia and nobody reads it anyway…”
Rosberg hits back at Wolff
Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Rosberg suggested that Wolff’s comments may have been influenced by the team’s less-than-stellar performance on that particular race weekend. Mercedes finished fifth and sixth, well behind Ferrari and Red Bull, which may have understandably soured Wolff’s mood.
“I think Toto had a moment where he was not too happy with the performance of his own team this weekend,” Rosberg observed.
“So I think Toto was just a little bit down and that made his answer a little bit darker and not quite as gracious,” Rosberg noted,
“not quite as gracious as maybe he would normally be because I think the right answer would have been to take my hat off and respect Red Bull for what they have done.”
Hamilton slams Verstappen achievements
Lewis Hamilton also recently joined in, questioning the strength of Verstappen’s teammates compared to his own.
Despite Verstappen only losing twice in one year to a team mate and the F1 records he is smashing, Lewis Hamilton is no more impressed with the Dutch driver than he has been with a host of other of his contemporaries.
“I’m no more impressed than I was when Michael was leading, when Sebastian was leading, when Kimi was driving, when Fernando was winning,” said Hamilton in Monza.
The British driver adds that the Red Bull team are at their best and this is assisting Max to achieve his dominant form.
“I think the [Red Bull] team as w hole was one of the strongest…. They’re firing on all cylinders right now. The car is incredible, the driver’s doing an amazing job – very consistent,” adds Lewis.
“The pit crew are doing a great job, the mechanics are doing a good job, strategy is doing a good job like on point – you can’t fault them.”
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Lewis claims his team mates better than Verstappen’s
Yet in words described by Martin Brundle as “harsh” Hamilton is dismissive of the challenge his arch rival has faced from the team mates Red Bull have put up against him.
“In my personnel opinion Valtteri – in fact all my team mates have been stronger than the team mates that Max has had,” Hamilton boldly claims
“Jenson, Fernando, George, Valterri… Nico… I’ve had so many. I mean these guys are all very very strong and consistent. Max has not raced against anyone like that,” insisted the ex F1 world champion.
Ex-Formula One driver and Sky F1 expert commentator Martin Brundle firmly rebuts Lewis’ opinion but suggests his harsh words are designed to play mind games with Max.
For Helmut Marko, these comments from Hamilton and Wolff reflect a fundamental difference in attitude between Red Bull and Mercedes when it comes to competition and performance.
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A confident response from Helmut Marko
Marko’s response to Mercedes’ comments is one of confidence, but he doesn’t hold back with a scathing attack on the fundamental differences between the two teams.
He believes that Mercedes’ comments stem from their status as a team that is currently “not a serious contender” for Red Bull. As a result, Red Bull does not see Mercedes as a significant threat at this time.
Marko’s approach is simple: Red Bull is focused on optimising its own performance rather than engaging in verbal sparring with its rivals. He dismisses Mercedes’ comments as a distraction from the task at hand.
“We look to our team to get the best performance from our own team and we are not worried about Mercedes as long as they are not a serious opponent for us,” he waves off.
“We just look at our own things. We do our best and don’t tell all these stories like they do,” says Marko.
READ MORE: Verstappen “feared more” than Hamilton says Button
Max Verstappen’s perspective
Max Verstappen, the star of Red Bull’s current dominance, also weighs in on Mercedes’ struggles. He suggests that it’s difficult for Mercedes to come to terms with defeat after years of uninterrupted success. Verstappen admits that Red Bull faced a similar situation during Mercedes’ reign, where they had to work harder to catch up.
“I think it’s very difficult for Mercedes to deal with defeat. That’s the problem you have when you’ve won for so many years,” said the world champion.
“But at the end of the day you also have to be realistic. If it’s not possible [to win], then it’s not possible. You also have to recognize what other teams are doing. That’s what we did in the years when Mercedes dominated “, he says.
“At that time we just said to ourselves, ‘We have to work harder’ because we just weren’t good enough compared to them back then.”
Ignoring the ‘noise’ from Mercedes
Verstappen stresses the importance of staying focused on your own performance and goals, regardless of outside criticism. He believes it is important to recognise the achievements of other teams, but ultimately a team can only control its own efforts.
“You can always say that the things we’re achieving at the moment aren’t that special, or at least that’s probably what they think, but in the end you just have to focus on yourself because that’s the only thing “What you can influence.” said the Dutchman.
READ MORE – Hamilton: “Done with F1…”
Sebastian Vettel reunited with his 2011 title-winning Red Bull RB7 at the Formula Nurburgring event 🤩
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