Dr Helmut Marko has reiterated Red Bull isn’t showing preference toward Max Verstappen.
The two-time world champion’s outstanding performance in the ongoing F1 season, winning 10 out of 12 races and securing a significant 125-point lead over teammate Sergio Perez in the Drivers’ Championship, has sparked discussions.
Mexican driver, Sergio Perez, after equally sharing race wins with his teammate after four races of the ongoing campaign faced a streak of lacklustre performances.
Perez failed to qualify out of Q3 5 times in a row leading to that significant gap between him and his teammate, this started after he lost a crucial race to Verstappen at the Miami Grand Prix.
The performance gap between the two has prompted speculations about Red Bull tailoring their cars to suit Verstappen.
Helmut Marko refuting such claims told Motorsport Magazin: “No, that is not true. At the beginning of 2022 the car suffered a lot of understeer,”
“This was due to the car being overweight. In the long run, you will not be successful with an overweight car, but as the car became lighter, the car went more to a ‘neutral’ balance – or even a bit more oversteer.”
The Milton Keynes-based team asserted its dominance in the previous season and has continued to progress this year.
This streak of achievements has propelled the team to a remarkable milestone – holding the record for the highest number of consecutive race wins in F1, currently standing at an impressive 13.
The prospect of Verstappen and Perez prolonging this streak remains promising. The 80-year-old explaining Red Bull’s profound success said: “I think because we have a team that has been unchanged for years. So the continuity, the stability in the whole organisation and the flexibility to make quick decisions.”