Marko not afraid of Ferrari: 'What's the point if it breaks down anyway'

F1 News

Marko snubs Ferrari fast engine not reliable
7 March 2023 at 17:06
Last update 7 March 2023 at 17:22
  • GPblog.com

Scuderia Ferrari has a fast engine and, with the SF23, a lot of power can be extracted from it. At least, if that engine doesn't give up. Red Bull Racing advisor Dr Helmut Marko is not so impressed with Ferrari yet for that reason.

Bahrain gives Red Bull no guarantees

Red Bull was extremely dominant at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Max Verstappen started the race from P1, drove away and prevailed with an overwhelming lead. Sergio Perez struggled a little at the start, but was also able to drive to P2 fairly comfortably. There was little to fear in Bahrain, but opposite Motorsport.com Marko says that is no guarantee for upcoming races.

Indeed, the asphalt in Bahrain is somewhat peculiar and the RB19's chassis and drivers allowed for relatively low tyre degradation. That gave a big advantage during the Bahrain race, but it will most likely not provide such a big gap at other circuits.

Marko teases Ferrari

For Red Bull's possible challengers, the traditional top teams like Mercedes and Ferrari are being looked at. Mercedes is not among them for now, but it seems Aston Martin is strong instead. Ferrari looked strong in the winter tests and was reasonable during qualifying, but its top speed could not be used. Carlos Sainz did not have the pace and Charles Leclerc's engine quit without giving an error message on the wheel.

Marko therefore also has plenty of reason not to lie awake yet about looming strong rivals. The Red Bull adviser finds it hard to say yet, but thinks Mercedes will still develop over the season. Marko: "Ferrari has the most powerful engine, but what good is a fast engine if it is not reliable?"