Marko sees panic at Mercedes: 'Vowles left of his own accord'

James Vowles' move to Williams is a big loss for Mercedes. The Brit had an important role behind the scenes at the German formation as chief strategist. While there have been rumours that Williams could have become a B-team for Mercedes, Helmut Marko has different information.

During the winter break, Marko continued to follow Formula 1 closely. With the departures of Andreas Seidl to Sauber, Frederic Vasseur to Ferrari and Vowles to Williams, among others, a lot happened in the preparation for the new season, so Marko was not bored.

The Austrian does not believe Mercedes welcomed Vowles' departure. "I have very different information," he said in an interview with Sport1. "Vowles left of his own accord and, we hear, even took good engineers with him. My sources tell me that the mood at Mercedes is tense because of this."

However, it does not change Marko's expectations. The Red Bull Racing top man does not agree that Mercedes has become weaker. "That remains to be seen. But I still think Mercedes will be our biggest challenger to defend our title."

Toto Wolff revealed earlier that he is not worried after Vowles' departure. Although he was an important link in Mercedes' overall performance, the team has enough qualities to handle the situation, according to the team boss.