Marko: "Albon was unfortunately not consistent enough"

Helmut Marko is known for his strong predictions before the start of the Formula 1 season. However, the highly experienced advisor and Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz knows the ropes in the F1 circus and is always straightforward. He recently spoke about what they are trying to achieve at Red Bull Racing with the appointment of Sergio Perez at the expense of Alexander Albon.

In a conversation with Servus TV, Marko says: “We need two strong drivers from the start of the season in view of tactics. We saw at the end of last season that Mercedes could no longer afford to bring Bottas in for a pit stop just like that, because it was no longer certain that he would be able to hold his second place in the championship. We have to make sure that we can play this strategy from race one. Alexander Albon was unfortunately not consistent enough here, hence the driver change. ”

Where Marko has raised the eyebrows of many F1 fans in previous seasons with daring championship forecasts, he seems a bit more relaxed this year. “Mercedes is definitely the favourite. However, when we compare the coming season with the previous years, we are in a much better position. We have a car that won the last race of the previous season. ”

Still, Marko is not too far ahead of major successes and he adds some nuance: “To be honest, I must say that Hamilton was still struggling with the after-effects of coronavirus in that race. In addition, Mercedes could not use the full power of their MGU-K, something that certainly played a role."