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Racing Bulls a challenger to Red Bull? Marko tempers expectations
In Formula 1, things are not always what they seem to be. If Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar finish in the top six in a free practice session with Racing Bulls, it does not mean that Red Bull's sister team has made it to the top of Formula 1. Helmut Marko, Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls' chief advisor, explained that FP2 was mainly used as a test by the Italian team.
In conversation with, among others GPblog, Marko reveals that Racing Bulls may have indeed 'deceived' the eyes of F1 fans and experts alike. "I am afraid they will be behind," the Austrian said, referring to Williams, which in his view has more performance than Red Bull's sister team.
Racing Bulls did test in Melbourne
That the Racing Bulls were nevertheless faster over a fast lap in FP2 in Melbourne was for a good reason, according to Marko. After all, they were driving around with significantly less fuel than the competition. "Yes. Because in Bahrain they didn't have time to do that. So they did not have time on lower fuel, and I mean, that's just a fair strategy," Marko explained.
That said, Racing Bulls made a fine impression in Melbourne. True, the top teams are not within reach, Williams is slightly faster on the long runs, but the team does seem to be ahead of Aston Martin, Alpine, Haas F1 and Sauber.
This article was written in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen.
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