General
Marko: "Strange that the FIA Mercedes has given the green light for this."
- GPblog.com
Red Bull Racing advisor Helmut Marko commented on the DAS system Mercedes is using this year. The Austrian was asked about the advantage of the system by Motorsport-Magazin who spoke to him between the Grands Prix of Styria and Hungary.
Advantage for Mercedes
"The biggest advantage is that the tires are much easier to warm up. So after a restart Mercedes has now a big advantage", says Marko. He expects that with the long European calendar the benefits will only increase.
"Because this year we are racing mainly in Europe, where the temperatures are in the autumn and much lower, the advantage of the DAS system will only increase", continues the Austrian. So with the DAS system Mercedes has more grip, for example in a pit stop.
Will Red Bull make it too?
Marko says that Red Bull is still considering a similar system for the RB16, despite the fact that it will be banned from 2021. "We are discussing if we want to build it as well, but it will take time. We don't want to build it, we want to improve it."
"It's already banned from next year. I find the situation strange, because the FIA Mercedes has given the green light to develop the system. Maybe a committee should be set up so that we can make more neutral decisions in the future", concludes Marko.