Red Bull: Helmut Marko criticizes Mark Webber

Helmut Marko is never stingy with shocking statements. And the least that can be said is that his statement for the German publication Auto Motor und Sport falls into this category.

Finally, we have an Australian who starts well and can put Sebastian under pressure with fair methods, he stated, referring to the former Red Bull driver until 2013, Mark Webber. The latter, in his final years in Formula 1, frequently suffered from starting issues, which often prevented him from competing regularly against his teammate.

It’s not the first time that the head of the Red Bull team has openly criticized the Australian. Last year in January, even though Webber was still contracted for at least another year with the Austrian team, he stated that he couldn’t hope for anything better than the No. 2 spot: « For four years, Vettel and Webber have been driving for us. Sebastian has been in the title fight once and champion three times. The statistics speak for themselves. There is no reason to think that the balance of power will change. »

If Daniel Ricciardo has indeed managed to make decent starts so far, he has nevertheless not scored a single point, due to a disqualification in Australia for not adhering to the maximum allowed fuel flow rate and a missed pit stop in Malaysia where a wheel was improperly attached. Additionally, he will have a 10-place grid penalty during the Bahrain Grand Prix. Despite this, his good races have been acknowledged, following his podium on the track in Melbourne and the fourth place he held without challenge in Sepang before the last pit stop. « The team has shown that they made the right choice [in choosing me], » he recently declared.