Marko not worried: "Max doesn't need any start-up time"

It is not yet certain what the new regulations and corresponding cars for the 2022 Formula 1 season will bring, but Helmut Marko believes it will once again be a duel between Red Bull Racing and Mercedes. The difference with 2021: this time Red Bull wants to win both world titles on its name.

Still, the Austrian acknowledges that due to the major changes, nothing is certain yet. "Mercedes and we have the potential, the people and the continuity. That again speaks for a duel at the highest level, especially since no driver can match the level of Verstappen and Hamilton, " Marko says in conversation with Auto, Motor und Sport.

Is there a driver who can start making things difficult for the two rivals? "Lando Norris is the closest," argues Marko. He saw a disappointed Charles Leclerc by the level of Ferrari debutant Carlos Sainz, and is curious to see how George Russell will do next to Hamilton. According to Marko, he will be more challenging anyway, just in terms of "rhetoric and politics," since he is also English.

Whether he can match the level of Verstappen and Hamilton, the Red Bull chief is not so sure. He sees in Russell an incredibly fast driver in qualifying, but sees the gap to Nicholas Latifi shrinking in the races. "That's where Russell has to prove himself first," says Marko.

As for the suggestion that the new cars are harder to drive, which several drivers have commented on, Marko is not at all concerned. "Max doesn't need any start-up time. He's always quick right away," the Red Bull advisor concluded. In addition, there was also an upward trend in Sergio Perez' s performance towards the end of the season, which should put Red Bull on track with the RB18.