“This is not an Arab bazaar,” Helmut Marko blasts Ferrari for trying to poach Red Bull engineers

Helmut Marko has shut down any possibility of their engineers' defection.

“This is not an Arab bazaar,” Helmut Marko blasts Ferrari for trying to poach Red Bull engineers

Helmut Marko via PlanetF1

F1 team Scuderia Ferrari recently endured the loss of Laurent Mekies, their team director. He is currently set to join AlphaTauri as a replacement for Franz Tost. This is a big blow to the Maranello team, especially as they did not receive prior notice of his departure.

This has left them scrambling to compensate for his loss. With Ferrari’s meager performances as of late, desperate times have called for desperate measures. The team has reportedly issued a contingency on Mekies‘ early departure. It entails Red Bull releasing some of their experienced staff to them, including Pierre Wache, Adrian Newey’s right-hand man.

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In response to this, speaking to Motorsport.es, advisor and consultant to Red Bull Helmut Marko has slammed the Italian outfit. He said, ” We all want Ferrari to be competitive. But this doesn’t work like that. This is not an Arab bazaar. Besides, Waché works for us and doesn’t want to change scenery , so we don’t agree to those conditions.”

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The recently announced renewal of Adrian Newey with Red Bull reaffirms their desire to retain their engineers and staff. Ferrari seem to be exploring every option available to shoot themselves back to the top. But as Marko said, they must find a way to be competitive without poaching the championship-leading team’s engineers and staff.

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Ferrari are running out of options in their pursuit of a comeback

Laurent Mekies and Frederic Vasseur via The Mirror
Laurent Mekies and Frederic Vasseur via The Mirror

The Italian outfit’s start to the 2023 season has been disastrous beyond measure. Right from substandard machinery, poor driver decisions on the track, and staff jumping ship. It’s all going downhill for the team in red. Their attempt to poach engineers from other teams seems to be an indication of a quick fix for their underwhelming SF-23.

The team was in good spirits after Baku, for the only time this season. They secured two pole positions and a solid podium, and established themselves as second fastest on the grid in Azerbaijan. They failed to carry this momentum into Miami, as their weekend went from bad to worse.

The Ferrari drivers constantly complained about the car’s pace and their strategies. They had different tire compound preferences for each driver. All these inconsistencies have been their downfall. It could have contributed to Laurent Mekies abandoning the ship, like David Sanchez.

The only way Ferrari can once again compete at the front is by spending overtime at the factory back in Maranello. They need a clear intent and a distinct objective. The team appears to be scattered at the moment. They expect to introduce more upgrades to the car in the upcoming Grand Prix weekends. Ferrari will make it their primary goal to fight for podiums again.

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