Red Bull F1 Head Refutes Claims of Being Silenced by Parent Company [F1-Gate.com]

Red Bull F1 motorsport adviser Helmut Marko has denied he was ‘silenced’ after last Sunday’s F1 Saudi Grand Prix.

In recent weeks, there have been rumors of trouble behind the scenes at Red Bull’s top management, notably with Marko working with Oliver Mintzlaff, who replaced the late Dietrich Mateschitz as CEO.

Austrian broadcaster ORF reported that after the race in Jeddah, the Red Bull press office prevented Marko from giving his usual post-race interview.

“Don’t worry,” Marco, 79, told Osterreich.

“I always say what I think”

Helmut Marko’s rumored ‘shutdown’ is speculated after he made fun of Mintzlaff, who oversaw Red Bull’s RB Leipzig’s 7-0 defeat to Manchester City.

“That was exaggerated in Germany,” Marko claims.

“I have a very good relationship with Mr. Mintzlaff. We exchange opinions on a regular basis.”

“But I always have a desire to remain independent.”

The Austrian also denied rumors that Max Verstappen had boycotted the post-session debriefing after qualifying in Jeddah, angered by a driveshaft failure.

“Max had just recovered from a bad cold,” Marco claims.

“Did you see the look on his face when he got out of the car? It wasn’t very good for him.”

“He wanted to go to bed as soon as possible.”

But it is also true that tensions remain between Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Perez as they face off within the team for the 2023 drivers’ title.

Verstappen, for example, could be said to have ignored the team’s instructions not to record the fastest lap of the race.

“Both of them followed the instructions more or less,” Marko said.

“Five laps before the end, they were told they could go full speed. Czech is a good tactician and he tried to set the fastest lap, but he made a mistake in the first sector and that was it. rice field”

“But with two top drivers, we have to try to get as far forward as possible before the wind tunnel penalty comes into play.”

Finally, Helmut Marko criticized the FIA ​​for the farce that saw Fernando Alonso on and off the podium in his Aston Martin.

“Jack’s incident happened on lap 20,” Marko said.

“Finishing the race, having a ceremony, and then being given a 10 second penalty, it’s ridiculous.”

“And then it got canceled again, which is even more ridiculous.”

Category: F1 / red bull racing