'Mercedes can't hold off as long as they'd like'

Red Bull Racing announced last week that it had appointed Ben Hodgkinson as technical director of Red Bull Powertrains. The news hit hard at competitor Mercedes, where he had been part of for two decades. Helmut Marko however believes that Red Bull has acted correctly.

Hodgkinson still has an ongoing contract, so it is uncertain when he will officially start with his new team. That's why Mercedes is currently doing everything it can to thwart Red Bull. However, Red Bull's advisor expects that the actual switch will not take long. "Mercedes are now doing everything they can to delay his term with us as long as possible, but they can't hold it off as long as they would like," he told F1 insider.

Marko believes that Hodgkinson made the decision to go to Red Bull himself. "The decisive factor is that we didn't have to hijack him away, he came to us himself," he states. "By the way, he is not the only one interested in a possible collaboration. Other employees, whose names I cannot mention yet, have also shown interest."

The switch is extra sensitive this season given the battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Both drivers are just one point apart in the World Cup rankings and seem to be deciding this season who will top the standings after 23 races. The Portuguese GP is scheduled for this weekend.