Marko: 'We drove with the same power in Hungary, unlike Mercedes'

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13:16, 07 Aug 2021

Amidst the heated title battle between Red Bull and Mercedes there have been recent rumours that the FIA has ordered the team of Helmut Marko and Christian Horner to reduce the Honda engine power while Mercedes seems to find more power every weekend. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko is resolute about these rumours; he calls it total nonsense.

"This is total nonsense. There were no restrictions, either from the FIA or from Honda. We didn't have to turn the engine back." Marko makes clear in conversation with F1 Insider. "We drove with the same power in Hungary as before. In contrast to Mercedes."

Mercedes have found more speed

Marko therefore attributes Mercedes' new found combativeness to the upgraded engine power of its direct rival. Marko added: "They not only brought updates to the car, but also to the engine. That's why they have been so fast on the straight since Silverstone."

"And with the engine. You can hear that Mercedes has improved the cooling system so that you can unlock more horsepower," the Red Bull advisor explained.

Pos.	Driver	Team	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli Kimi Antonelli	MercedesMER	72
2	George Russell George Russell	MercedesMER	63
3	Charles Leclerc Charles Leclerc	FerrariFER	49
4	Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton	FerrariFER	41
5	Lando Norris Lando Norris	McLarenMCL	25
6	Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri	McLarenMCL	21
7	Oliver Bearman Oliver Bearman	HaasHAA	17
8	Pierre Gasly Pierre Gasly	AlpineALP	15
9	Max Verstappen Max Verstappen	Red Bull RacingRBR	12
10	Liam Lawson Liam Lawson	Racing BullsRCB	10
11	Arvid Lindblad Arvid Lindblad	Racing BullsRCB	4
12	Isack Hadjar Isack Hadjar	Red Bull RacingRBR	4
13	Gabriel Bortoleto Gabriel Bortoleto	AudiAUD	2
14	Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz	WilliamsWIL	2
15	Esteban Ocon Esteban Ocon	HaasHAA	1
16	Franco Colapinto Franco Colapinto	AlpineALP	1
17	Nico Hulkenberg Nico Hulkenberg	AudiAUD	0
18	Alexander Albon Alexander Albon	WilliamsWIL	0
19	Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Bottas	CadillacCAD	0
20	Sergio Perez Sergio Perez	CadillacCAD	0
21	Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso	Aston MartinAST	0
22	Lance Stroll Lance Stroll	Aston MartinAST	0

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