Marko: 'It is not interesting for anyone to enter now'

Looking to the future

In an interview with Motorsport-Magazin.com Marko states that he has now accepted Honda's departure and is looking to the future. "Now we are primarily working on a replacement for the Honda engine. We are working on that and want to have a solution by the end of November." In any case, there has already one rejection; Mercedes will not be equipping Red Bull with engines. "Since they already equip almost half of the field, that was not surprising," Marko said.

No development of the engines

Ferrari and Renault will then be the only remaining options of the current engines, or Red Bull will have to bring their own engine. According to Marko, this would mean a complete freeze on engine development by the end of 2021 at the latest. "This complex engine is difficult enough if you only do maintenance and assembly. We are currently investigating how this can be done from our side. But further development is not possible without a technology center like Sakura."

The complexity of the engines also ensures that other manufacturers will not step in. Volkswagen is also often mentioned as a partner, but according to Marko that is not going to happen. "This engine has cost so much - and the monotonous races ... You can't blame Mercedes for that, but they have simply done the best work. Because of this complexity you can't catch up in a year or so."

New engine regulations

"It is clear that this new engine must be much simpler. It is not interesting for anyone to enter such a highly complex and expensive development. After all, you know the sums that are needed each year. Not to mention the initial development."