Helmut Marko gives Red Bull rivals HOPE with late-season prediction

Helmut Marko

Marko gives Red Bull rivals HOPE with late-season prediction

The Bulls finished one and two in Azerbaijan but Marko was still not satisfied

Joe Ellis

Wednesday 3 May 2023 10:57

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Helmut Marko has insisted that other teams will close the gap on Red Bull after starting the 2023 season with four consecutive wins.

Sergio Perez stormed to his second win of the season at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as he and team-mate Max Verstappen soared well clear of the third-placed driver Charles Leclerc.

The RB19 has a distinct advantage over the rest of the grid but with a lack of wind tunnel time, due to the team's cost-cap penalty from 2021, they are likely to see the development slow down at Milton Keynes.

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Marko is aware of that factor and believes his team could have to fight a lot harder to earn victories and one-two finishes later in the season.

Sergio Perez was sublime in Baku, claiming both the sprint race and grand prix victory

Marko: No race, no fun

"We didn't give an order to Sergio to ask for the five-hour closure to reduce the pace," Marko said to Sky Germany. "We said to continue as before. So we let them race. No race, no fun.

"They came closer, not just Ferrari. Alonso was extremely strong in the race; he only had the misfortune of being handicapped by his starting position.

"But that was to be expected, and it will get worse for us during the season because we are very restrictive with our wind tunnel time, or because of the regulation of our penalty. And it is expected that the others will come closer."