“We have narrowed the gap to Mercedes”- Helmut Marko admits this is Red Bull’s best chance since 2013

“We have narrowed the gap to Mercedes”- Helmut Marko believes that this is the best chance for Red Bull since 2013, but some work still left.

Red Bull chief Helmut Marko is prepared to metro his side in 2021 too, and he believes that his team has done an impressive job to provide a competitive car to its new duo- Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.

In the recent interview with Speedweek, Marko revealed his team’s gains throughout the winters as they vie to dethrone Mercedes after seven years.

“All the findings so far come from simulations; we will only get real data from March 12th in Bahrain. We assume that we have narrowed the gap to Mercedes. The first race will show how close we are,” said Marko.

“Mercedes is still the favourite, not least because of the series of successes in recent years. But we worked intensively and purposefully, as did Honda. There has been good progress with the new engine.”

“All of this encourages us to believe that we don’t have to wait until the middle of the season to be in top form this time, but that we can be at the front right from the start – which in turn is a prerequisite if we want to compete for the World Cup.”

When asked about whether he believes whether this is the best chance for Red Bull since 2013, back when they were still a dominant team, Marko said, “Yes. But Mercedes remain a favourite.

There will be no-nonsense with Sergio Perez.

Talking about Perez, Marko asserted that he relies on his vast experience in F1, and his maturity will avoid all nonsense, which is not the case with the rookies.

“Pérez has been in Formula 1 for ten years and has seen all its ups and downs. He is aware of the great opportunity, and there will be no-nonsense. His strengths in the race, especially in terms of tire management at high speed, will be similar. He will get used to it quickly.”

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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