Helmut Marko declares George Russell ‘just as quick’ as Lewis Hamilton amidst Red Bull’s interest for 2026
Helmut Marko believed that George Russell was faster than Lewis Hamilton in the 2024 season amidst Red Bull rumors.
George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Helmut Marko (via IMAGO)
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton have portrayed a similar performance to one another in the 2024 season. Both the drivers are just 19 points apart with Hamilton leading his teammate in the standings. Hence, amidst Christian Horner‘s recent interest in acquiring Russell for 2026 at Red Bull, Helmut Marko also spoke highly of the Briton.
Christian Horner‘s interest in acquiring Mercedes’ George Russell was followed by criticism from Toto Wolff. The Mercedes boss accused Horner of ‘stirring’ up stories following his comments. However, Helmut Marko has backed the 50-year-old’s comments and applauded Russell for his 2024 performances against Lewis Hamilton.
Marko noted that Russell had been just as fast as Hamilton this season if not faster. However, he also pointed out that this held true, especially for the qualifying sessions. Regardless, the 81-year-old downplayed the possibility of acquiring Russell, claiming the latter was ‘tied’ to the Mercedes brand.
George Russell is as fast as, if not faster than, Hamilton in qualifying. But George Russell is tied to the Mercedes brand.
Helmut Marko told Motorsport-total.com
Red Bull ‘focused’ on its junior drivers amidst Franco Colapinto’s recent success
Junior category driver Franco Colapinto excelled in his Formula 1 debut. However, Helmut Marko believed that Red Bull was more focused on its own junior category drivers. Marko further applauded Colapinto for his performances and questioned what the RB junior drivers could achieve.
I think for now we will focus on our juniors. Franco Colapinto has done an incredible job. Now, we are going to see what our juniors can do.
Helmut Marko added
Mercedes’ performance in the 2024 season has been filled with uncertainties. The German carmaker has already attained three victories amidst McLaren’s dominant performance. Hence, the coming season would be exciting to witness after Andrea Kimi Antonelli‘s acquisition alongside George Russell.
Aditya Pandya
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