Helmut Marko SLAMS Toto Wolff for claiming Red Bull is behind schedule in 2026 engine development

Red Bull has been the main advocate for opposing the 2026 engine modifications.

Helmut Marko SLAMS Toto Wolff for claiming Red Bull is behind schedule in 2026 engine development

Helmut Marko (Credits: PlanetF1) and Toto Wolff (Credits: Autosport)

Red Bull has been constantly going against the brass to modify the 2026 engine regulations. They are opposed by almost all of their rival teams, with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff going so far as to say that Red Bull’s reason for fighting against the changes is merely due to them falling behind schedule on their developments. Recently, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko rained hell on Wolff for his insinuations.

With Red Bull’s complete domination currently, it is no surprise that rival teams would support regulation changes to even things out. As expected of the Austrian, Marko left no stone unturned as he claimed that Red Bull is far ahead of their rivals, which include Audi, Ferrari, and Mercedes, among others, in engine development.

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“In August, a complete combustion engine with MGU-K and battery is still running. There we are miles ahead of Audi, we are miles ahead of Ferrari, and Mercedes is about the same,” Marko told motorsport-total.com.

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Marko also mentioned Red Bull’s new partnership with Ford for their engine development. Red Bull had announced at the start of 2023 that they would be leaving Honda for Ford as their primary power unit supplier.

 “We have Ford as a partner in the sector. We have absolute top people in the combustion engine. And we have two very bright minds on the electrical side,” Marko added.

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Helmut Marko reveals the problem with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen being on the same team

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen (Credits: Autosport)

Lewis Hamilton has his contract running out at the end of 2023. While negotiations with Mercedes are underway, he has been linked to several teams like Ferrari and Red Bull. Red Bull advisor recently gave his opinion on Hamilton racing with Max Verstappen by comparing it to the situation of McLaren with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.

Marko said that while the tough competition between the two would be a treat for the media and fans, it is not something a team with hopes of winning the title would want. He said it would be another Prost-Senna situation, where the drivers fought both on and off the track. Marko noted this is precisely the situation Hamilton would want to avoid.

“The public, the TV viewers and the journalists will certainly love that. But we as team management want success and we want to win the championship. Then it is better if you have a hierarchy…In the past, we saw, for example, Senna and Prost, two superstars, who only looked at each other and put the team in second place,” Marko told Motorsport-Magazin.

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