Helmut Marko hopes Red Bull F1 arch-rivals Mercedes will be “strong again” for one key reason

Mercedes are perhaps Red Bull's arch-rivals in Formula 1, but despite that, Helmut Marko hopes the Silver Arrows will be 'strong again' for one reason.

Helmut Marko hopes Red Bull F1 arch-rivals Mercedes will be “strong again” for one key reason

Helmut Marko

Germany has produced three F1 world champions: Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, and Nico Rosberg. Together, the three of them combined for twelve Drivers’ world titles. That’s the second-most of any country, right behind the United Kingdom. It’s fair to say that Germany had its ‘golden period’ between 1994 and 2016, right up until Rosberg’s retirement.

Since that year, it’s not been all that great. Vettel fought for the title in 2017 and 2018, but both times, it ended in tears. Of course, on the constructors’ side, Mercedes, who race with a German flag, dominated the sport between 2014-2021. But that’s kind of how far it goes for them. Mercedes’ team base is in Brackley, and their engine is manufactured in Brixworth. As you may know, both of these places are in England.

YouTube video

When Audi enter in 2026, it will be the first time in more than a decade that an F1 power unit manufactured in Germany gets on the grid. On the popularity side, too, German interest isn’t amazing in F1 right now. There hasn’t been a German GP for two seasons now. Norbert Haug, former Vice President of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport even called F1’s waning popularity in Germany a ‘tragedy’. To remedy this tragedy, even Helmut Marko hopes that Red Bull’s arch-rivals, Mercedes, ‘are strong’ again.

FS Video

Read More: Toto Wolff points out how Mercedes may have an advantage over F1 top dogs Red Bull in 2023

Helmut Marko hopes Mercedes will be strong again for the sake of F1 in Germany

Red Bull F1 consultant Helmut Marko
Red Bull F1 consultant Helmut Marko

To say that the relationship between Red Bull and Mercedes isn’t great would be an understatement. The two teams were embroiled in an extremely intense championship fight in 2021. While the teams’ title went to Mercedes, Max Verstappen snatched the drivers’ title from Lewis Hamilton, quite literally on the last lap of the season. Even for 2023, the two are likely to be rivals, even if Mercedes may not immediately be ‘competitive’ with Red Bull.

Despite all that, Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko hopes that Mercedes are ‘strong again’ just so that F1’s popularity can recover there. He told Sport1: “It’s incredible what’s happening in Germany right now. In Austria it is exactly the opposite. Formula 1 is booming more than ever before. The Red Bull team is seen as the Austrian national team and the whole country is cheering on that. That’s why I even hope that Mercedes will be strong again so that the Germans will identify with them.”

It’ll be interesting to see if Germany can return to the F1 calendar in the near future. Mercedes’ being competitive again will help, and so will the arrival of Audi. Porsche is another German manufacturer that’s interested in entering the sport, but they’ve been unable to find a partner team. More German manufacturers will help the sport but perhaps the driver side is more important. Right now only Nico Hulkenberg is on the grid, and Mick Schumacher may return. How either (or both) of them perform could be key to the sport’s future in Germany.

In case you missed it: