Marko on Red Bull's battle with Mercedes: 'That is no longer the case'

Red Bull Racing is in contention with Mercedes for the world championship this season. While Lewis Hamilton has won the world title in recent years, Max Verstappen is currently top of the rankings. It promises to be an exciting fight, as Helmut Marko sees it.

The Austrian racing stable's advisor sees Red Bull no longer having the large gap this season that they have had in recent years. "Mercedes always had the advantage of being one to half a second behind on engine power," he told RTL. "That is no longer the case, we have had a competitive car from the start. Now it's all about the details."

Mercedes tried to get Red Bull out of its focus in recent weeks by raising the flexi-wings issue. Team boss Toto Wolff argued that Red Bull were not acting according to the rules and that the FIA should intervene. "We don't lower ourselves to that level. We concentrate on absolute racing and want to be in the best possible position. Those side noises pass - at least with me - without a trace."

This weekend Hamilton and Verstappen face each other again in France. The Dutchman is currently four points ahead of his rival, but that could easily change after the weekend.