F1 News
Marko thinks Red Bull and Vettel were "never as dominant as Mercedes now"
Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko has hit back at the criticism he's received for his comments, as the Austrian and Ferrari alike were criticised for using the tyres as the excuse for losing every race so far to Mercedes.
Marko had already stated the new tyres, which have thinner threads to decrease blistering, massively favour Mercedes, as the German team typically struggled with blistering on the rear tyres in previous years.
In a new interview with SpeedWeek.com, the former Le Mans winner didn't feel any need to defend his statements.
"I don't understand why I have to defend myself when I address the state of the tyres," the 76-year-old explained.
"Yes, we were dominant with [Sebastian] Vettel for four years, but we were never as dominant as Mercedes are currently. We rarely had one-two's."
Marko also pointed out a big difference between the Red Bull dynasty at the start of this decade; in-season adjustments.
"When we dominated, we were slowed down during the year by changes. The wings had to be stiffer, there was a change in the exhaust diffuser. Today, changes aren't possible during the season."
A possible solution which has been proposed by some is to have Pirelli change the mixture of the compounds mid-season. Does Marko agree with this solution to even out the playing field?
"I don't know whether that's pointless. Pirelli already changed tyres during a season; after Silverstone in 2013, when the tyres started bursting. Like I said: I only pointed out the state of the tyres. However, Ferrari is the team profits the least from tyre regulations."
