Marko observes: "At the other four circuits Mercedes is the favourite"

11 October 2021 at 13:23

Last update 11 October 2021 at 15:58

GPblog.com

According to Helmut Marko, Red Bull Racing has an advantage over Mercedes in two of the six Grands Prix, namely Mexico and Brazil. The races in the United States, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi are more likely to suit the W12. Marko says this after the Turkish GP.

Mexico and Brazil

"At the moment I only see two races where we have advantages because of the altitude: Mexico and Sao Paulo. At the other four circuits, Mercedes is the favourite at the moment," the Red Bull advisor said in an interview with F1 Insider. The Mercedes engine traditionally struggles with the thin air at higher altitudes, while Honda in turn can cope well with this.

Verstappen finished three places above Hamilton at the Istanbul Park circuit. The 24-year-old Dutchman is now the leader in the World Championship again. "Of course we are happy with the result in Turkey. It was one hundred percent damage control. Bottas was out of reach with his speed. Hamilton's speed could have been even higher after his grid penalty, but Tsunoda and Perez cost him the time he lacked at the end. That was the plan."

Newey back from the saddle

Mercedes' top speed is impressive. Marko will be hoping that Honda themselves can gain something in terms of performance, otherwise it will have to come solely from the chassis side. Fortunately Adrian Newey is up and running again after a serious cycling accident four months ago. Red Bull's top designer underwent several operations.

"We are well positioned across the board, but Adrian is of course the inspiration. He was back on track for the first time here in Istanbul and was able to help us right away," Marko reported to the German medium.