Credit: Helmut Marko, consultant for the Red Bull F1 team – photo: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images
The abandonment of the current F1 runner-up, Charles Leclerc, at the Bahrain Grand Prix, last Sunday (5), still has repercussions. This time, Red Bull Racing (RBR) consultant Helmut Marko went public to recognize the quality of the engine developed by Ferrari. However, he expressed doubts.
“What good is a big engine if it breaks down? Ferrari has the most powerful engine, but what’s the point of having the most powerful engine if it’s not reliable?
It is not new that Ferrari suffers from mechanical problems. In the 2022 season, the Italian brand wasted points by seeing Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz abandon tests precisely because of the engine.
Another detail Marko drew attention to was tire wear. According to him, good management was crucial for the drinks team to win the double at the Bahrain GP.
“Thanks to our chassis and the work of the drivers. But in Bahrain there is a “special” asphalt and this does not mean that we will be able to do this for the rest of the year, ”he warned.
“We will have to work hard to maintain this lead. It was a great race for us, but our opponents also made things easier”, evaluated the Red Bull F1 consultant.
“With Leclerc out, we were no longer forced to push to the limit and Fernando Alonso (3rd) took a long time to overtake the cars (behind),” added Marko.
“The temperatures were very high and I don’t know if we could go full throttle. We could have problems”, concluded Marko.
When will Formula 1 return?
F1 is now back in just two weeks. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is the next race. The event is scheduled to take place from March 17th to 19th.
The first Free Training session takes place at 10:30 am on the 17th. FP2 starts at 2 pm on the same day.
The third and final free practice session starts at 10:30 am on March 18th. Classification training is scheduled hours later, at 2 pm.
The main event, the race, will take place from 2 pm on Sunday (March 19).
