Helmut Marko Slams Lewis Hamilton

Red Bull and Mercedes are currently engaged in one of the closest battles of the hybrid era. Red Bull are currently ahead and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has on more than one occasion questioned the increase in performance of the Red Bull car. Many see this as an attempt to get certain upgrades on the Red Bull car to be banned just as was the case with the flexible rear wings. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has now revealed what he thinks of this strategy among other things while speaking to Motorsport-Total

0:00 - Marko Rips Into Lewis Hamilton
1:47 - Fast Feed

I'm your host Dillon Shelley and first up on Formula World:

Marko Rips Into Lewis Hamilton

Marko began by responding to whether Mercedes have taken their eye off the ball this season

“Not consciously, I think. But of course: If you've won the world championship seven times in a row, you're a little more relaxed than we, who have been chasing the title since this hybrid era began”

He then gave his opinion on the recent technical directive to slow down pit stops

“I find the whole thing unfortunate because quick pit stops are part of the show. I think there are a lot of spectators who wait for the graphic of how long the pit stop was. It's part of the race, and it can be decisive for the race”

He then responded to Hamilton constantly calling out the performance of the 2021 Red Bull cars

“It is the number of things that are rolled up against us that is a bit astonishing. But slowly it backfires. And the media also perceive it as we see it, namely that in this way you put yourself in the role of the unsportsmanlike loser”

He fired another shot towards Hamilton when looking at the incidents around Turn 4 in Austria where Sergio Perez received three penalties

“Turn 4 is famous. I think Hamilton destroyed Albon's career there. If Hamilton hadn't sent him out there in 2020, Albon would have won the race. Then maybe everything would have looked very different because the psyche and that then of course develop self-confidence in a completely different way”

Fast Feed

“So, we’ve got a massive challenge to try to make sure we maximum capitalize on their weak moments, if they have any”, Hamilton added

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner pointed out that they’re “not even halfway through the season” [Sky Sports]

He further feels that “there are so many points available with these different format races at the venues [they're] going to, so it's still wide open”

He reiterated that “a 32-point lead can almost completely vanish in one weekend. [They're] taking nothing for granted”

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc “can't wait to bring back the team to where it deserves to be and fight for the title” [Beyond the Grid podcast]

Alpine’s executive director Marcin Budkowski pointed out that their driver “Esteban [Ocon] had two difficult races in Austria and [they] are still investigating whether there are technical reasons for this” [Motorsport-Total]

He also revealed that “to remove any doubt, the team has taken the decision to make extensive changes to the car for Silverstone, including a new chassis”

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has explained that “the first weekend with the new sprint qualifying format brings a fresh challenge for all teams” [Mercedes press release]

“With just a single one-hour practice session ahead of the Friday qualifying session, and the cars’ configuration fixed from the beginning of standard qualifying on Friday, whoever can get up to speed quickest will carry an advantage through the weekend”

He added that they “will be adapting [their] approach and running plans to ensure [they] are best prepared for every aspect of the new challenge”

Retired F1 driver turned commentator David Coulthard stated that “it feels a little bit like Mercedes have to deliver this weekend, it feels like Lewis has to deliver this weekend” [The Race]

This is “because Max [Verstappen] is not scared of anyone. He’s a natural born winner, he is on the crest of a wave right now, and he’s not going to be fazed by lots of Union Jacks”

He is also “really curious because Toto [Wolff] is clearly confident in the performance of the car” [Motorsport]

Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll agrees that Sebastian Vettel “had a slow start to the season, but he's up to speed now. Yes, he is [their] most expensive man, but he is doing a great job” [Motorsport-Total]

He also stated that “bringing Lewis in is something [he] can absolutely imagine. It would be crazy not to want Lewis driving for you”

He, however, doesn’t “know exactly how Lewis intended his statement [about F1 being a club of billionaire sons], but it is true that it is a capital-intensive sport. Racing is definitely a very expensive business”

Do you find Lewis Hamilton’s conduct to be unsportsmanlike?

[FormulaWorld]

0:00 - Marko Rips Into Lewis Hamilton
1:47 - Fast Feed

[mariodriessen]

Actually, according to Toto Wolff it was Bottas who ruined Albon's career.

[MJoStriker]

Imagine being Albon and hearing your boss say your career was destroyed. Redbull is brutal but on some level you gotta respect it.

[Amazing_wildlife]

Marko is a wise old man. He exactly knows how to create more controversy out of controversy

[paulsven]

Merc: We like competition
RB: Here it is
Merc: No not like that

[hughmnu]

Lewis opens mouth:

1/3 fans: “tyres are dead Bono”
1/3 fans: “best fans of the world”
1/3 fans: “RB have a quicker car than us”

[Mike.W.Dasher]

He is right about the pit-stop thing for sure. There is no correlation between the speed of the stops and unsafe releases. It comes down to training and skill. The pit stops are one of the more exciting moments of a grand prix and it's a sad loss that they're dumbing them down in such a clumsy way.

[dacoconutnut]

Marko even said that Hamilton ruined Alex Albon career lmao

[Fran-glrh]

Hamilton keeps repeating "Red Bull are a bit ahead at the moment..." Every god damn weekend

[gregdixon]

Helmut Marko to Horner: "Why doesn't everybody hate Lewis as much as we do?

[michaelshore]

Interesting that last year when Max did this it was Helmut that called it refreshing race driving.

[waywardson]

You know, when even rich people start complaining about the expenses of junior formulas, it's a real problem.
It's always been that way, but now it's come to a point where racing drivers can't afford to pay for their sons' careers. Alex wurz said something about how he can fund his son upto f4 and no more.

[S-rnxn]

Is Marco forgetting all the moaning red bull have done for the last decade? It’s literally all they’ve done. Can’t stand him and Horner

[BeastMastery]

Lewis needs to stop complaining about other cars ffs man. He has driven a ufo vs bikes for years!

[a]

Helmut destroyed Albon's F1 career. Sure Hamilton didn't help but he's not the one who ditched him for "struggling" in a seriously unstable car.

[ndsx]

Hamilton is a terrible sport when he’s not winning. Anyone that watched the 2010-2013 seasons can attest to that fact

[nolimits]

Helmut talking about how Hamilton destroyed Albon's career is the biggest irony ever.


And by the way, just because Albon hasn't participated in this form of motorsport again doesn't mean his career is over.

[arturoarino]

if Marko actually believed this he wouldn't kick Albon out, I think Redbull killed Albon's carrier not Hamilton

[messmeister]

“I think Hamilton destroyed Albon’s career there”

- says the man who destroyed Albon’s career lol

[anshumankakralia]

Lol DC's face in this One was gold. XD