Helmut Marko claims Mercedes is not a ‘serious opponent’ for Red Bull

Mercedes are currently 310 points behind Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship.

Helmut Marko claims Mercedes is not a ‘serious opponent’ for Red Bull

Helmut Marko and Toto Wolff (Via IMAGO)

Red Bull has dominated the grid ever since the technical regulations change in 2022. While Ferrari displayed a meager amount of competition in 2022, they seem to be in their league in 2023. Having been undefeated for the entire season, their 2021 rivals Mercedes, who were in the dominant position until that year, have had trouble adjusting to the new dynamic as the team has released various statements to undermine Red Bull and Max Verstappen’s achievements.

Mercedes fell into the bottom order after the ground effect on F1 cars was increased in 2022. As they struggle to keep up with the new regulations, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko stated that he won’t bother to give a reply to Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton’s remarks until they return to their winning ways on the track.

“This is exactly the difference. We look at our own team and try to perform as well as possible. We are not involved with Mercedes as long as they are not a serious opponent. We look at ourselves, we do our best and we don’t create stories for nothing like they do,” Marko told Motorsport.com (H&T: Motorsport Week).

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Toto Wolff aims to defeat Red Bull within the current regulations

Toto Wolff
Toto Wolff (Credits: CNBC)

Despite being second in the constructors’ standings, Mercedes still looks to be struggling, as they are nowhere close to Red Bull at the moment. Lewis Hamilton went so far as to say that the FIA should intervene to make Red Bull less dominant and make the competition fair. However, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has disagreed with the thought as he aims to defeat Red Bull on the ground.

Wolff appreciated Red Bull’s success after quite some time as he said that as long as they are complying with all the regulations, they deserve appreciation. Wolff said that it is Mercedes’ job as their rivals to catch up to Red Bull, but strictly without outside interference. He even claimed that F1 is not like WWE, which he claims to be scripted.

“If a team dominates in the way Max has done with Red Bull then fair dues, this is a meritocracy…  it’s up to us to catch up. If that takes a long time then it takes a long time… I remember people crying foul when it was us. Entertainment follows sport and not the other way around,” said Wolff.

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