Red Bull-Honda will challenge Mercedes and Ferrari in 2020 - Marko

Red Bull

Red Bull-Honda will challenge Mercedes and Ferrari in 2020 - Marko

A bold statement, but he has faith.

Martin Macdonald

Tuesday 8 October 2019 15:00

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko says he has faith that Honda will gain enough power over the break between seasons so that his team can match that of Mercedes and Ferrari in 2020.

The team have already made gains this season, but are yet to consistently match the pace of the top two in the constructors’ championship.

Next year will be a different story, though, according to Marko.

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"From the chassis side I think we will be much better prepared than this year," the Austrian told Motorsport.com about the 2020 season.

"And the development which is going on at Honda makes us believe that we will be next year on the same power level like Mercedes and Ferrari, consistently."

After Honda’s tumultuous relationship with McLaren which saw several engine issues arise, Marko has revealed that the Japanese manufacturer had worries that history could repeat itself, this time with Red Bull. But, he remains satisfied that the engine has not been a factor in them failing to compete with Mercedes and Red Bull over this campaign.

"I think they are doing a great job and we have to do it step by step," he insisted.

"We know in the past they had big reliability problems and they were worried, but so far we didn't have any engine problems at all this season.

"I think they are doing the right things and the right job. We believe next year we won't be third."

One concern for Red Bull is the future of Max Verstappen as the Dutchman recently said he was in no hurry to renew his contract with the team after 2020 if they did not prove worthy of delivering the championship.

They have continuously stated their desire to make Verstappen the youngest champion in F1 history, and with 2020 the last year that is possible, Marko admits the pressure is on to deliver.

"I wouldn't say it's crucial. It's the last year where we can make Max the youngest champion in Formula 1 and we have to deliver, yes,” he added.

"But we know that and it's part of our DNA We have to win, yes. It's not crucial, it's a must."