“He made a very unsubtle statement” – Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has accused Mercedes boss Toto Wolff of speaking out of turn about passing on Honda engine info to Volkswagen.
Toto Wolff had hinted that Red Bull could rope in Volkswagen as an engine supplier in the future. And to aid that, is feeding Honda engine information to the German giants, one of Mercedes parent Daimler’s rivals.
Unsurprisingly, the ever-outspoken Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko has rubbished those claims. He maintained that Red Bull are very intent on building their own engines. The acquiring of 15 Mercedes engine staff – as per Wolff – is a testament to that.
“He [Wolff] made a very unsubtle statement that we would get the patent rights from Honda and pass them on to VW. That’s complete nonsense, that would be unfair and it’s not planned. As long as the current regulations apply, we are solely responsible for this engine.
“But the fact we are open to partnerships in the future, be it for naming the engine or more, that is all possible and also desired so that our costs are kept within limits. But whether that could be the manufacturer I mentioned or another is completely open at this point.”
Helmut Marko: Mercedes offering double pay if people stay
But six have already signed with Red Bull…https://t.co/0wi5kClhRI #F1 pic.twitter.com/SP4OJZ0Vmr
— Planet F1 (@Planet_F1) May 7, 2021
Red Bull to do a Ferrari
Once the Red Bull Powertrains project comes into fruition, it will make them the second team on the grid to built the chassis and engine in the same location. With new regulations coming into force from 2025, it will allow Red Bull to provide engines to AlphaTauri, and potentially other teams as well.
“We will have a situation like Ferrari, where chassis and engine development are combined on the same site. It’s an almost unimaginable dream come true.
“In the first step, we will build and use the Honda engines from 2022 to 2024. And when the new regulations come into force in 2025 – when it is agreed costs will have to be drastically reduced, which will also mean many standardized parts – this means it should be possible for a non-experienced engine specialist to design such an engine.”
