Helmut Marko

Lauda, who was Mercedes’ non-executive chairman, passed away on Monday night aged 70, after battling health issues for almost a year.<br>Red Bull motorsport advisor Marko says he first met his fellow Austrian “around 1968” and the two followed each closely through their racing careers and later when they moved into non-driving roles.<br>“I knew he was not in a good condition, but still ...

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The bet was made during last year's silly season, when then Red Bull driver Ricciardo was considering his future options.<br>He believed that Valtteri Bottas would leave Mercedes, and Marko bet him that the Finn would stay with the Brackley team, which proved to be correct.<br>"He did win €1000," said Ricciardo when asked by Motorsport.com about the bet. "He always wants to bet more – but when ...

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The title-winning squad bagged a podium in the Australian Grand Prix, its first on-track podium in the season opener since 2014, to kick off its new partnership with Honda in encouraging fashion.<br>Max Verstappen finished more than 20 seconds behind Mercedes' race winner Valtteri Bottas, but hailed the result after a tricky start to the weekend.<br>Marko told Motorsport.com that Red Bull's set-up ...

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Ferrari endured a muted season-opening race as its pace-setting pre-season testing form translated into fourth and fifth on the road in Melbourne.<br>The Italian team says it has made "corrections" to what it feels contributed to its weak performance in Australia, and Marko believes it is engine related.<br>Marko told Motorsport.com: "It's quite clear that Ferrari has underperformed. And also ...

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F1’s 2019 changes include simplified front wings and bargeboards in a bid to make it easier for cars to follow, which in turn should lead to closer and better racing. <br>Red Bull were vocal opponents to the decision to push through those changes in May last year, citing a lack of reliable data to support it and the financial impact it would have. <br>Marko told Motorsport.com that while the ...

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Marko sees the team’s form in Mexico, where the altitude put Renault on a par with rivals Mercedes and Ferrari, as a sign of how strong the RB14 chassis is. He’s confident that the Honda power unit, which Red Bull believes is already ahead of Renault, will make the difference next season. Sebastian Vettel currently holds the title of youngest world champion, having secured his first ...

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Last weekend, Toro Rosso's livery was much in evidence among local fans, despite the team's relatively low profile this season. Toro Rosso drivers Brendon Hartley and Pierre Gasly started sixth and seventh at Honda's home track, hinting at real potential, although ultimately both finished outside the points. "It's very encouraging," Marko told Motorsport.com. "We got so much welcome in ...

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Ricciardo’s move to Renault opened up a seat at the main Red Bull team, which was subsequently handed to Pierre Gasly, in turn freeing up a slot at STR that has now been confirmed as Kvyat’s. Marko says that he had stayed in touch with Kvyat after the Russian was dropped by Red Bull and took up a new role as a Ferrari test and simulator driver. “We have been in contact,” Marko told ... ...

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Ricciardo had been expected to sign a new Red Bull deal prior to F1's summer break but shocked his current team by agreeing to drive for Renault instead. Red Bull claimed to have met all Ricciardo's contract demands, which led team boss Christian Horner to suggest Ricciardo feared being a number two to Max Verstappen. Marko told Austrian broadcaster Servus TV: "I don't understand it. It was ... ...

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McLaren announced on Thursday that the Toro Rosso technical director will be joining the team, although it would not confirm a date.It is understood that McLaren boss Zak Brown was talking to Red Bull about the terms of Key's departure, but those discussions hit a snag when the story emerged in the media, and was subsequently confirmed by the Woking team.It now appears that Red Bull ...

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Verstappen has scored back-to-back podiums in F1 after an incident-packed start to 2018 that included several costly clashes and mistakes.After the French Grand Prix he hit out at the criticism drivers receive for honest errors and referred specifically to the claims he needed to change his style as “nonsense”.Marko told Motorsport.com that Verstappen’s drives in Canada and France w ...

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After several feisty moments between the two Red Bulls, who raced closely throughout the F1 race in Baku, they both retired on the spot after Ricciardo ran into the back of Verstappen on the brakes for Turn 1.When asked for his reaction to the incident, Marko told Sky Sports: "We let the drivers race and then they are doing that. Unbelievable. Both were wrong."It was a racing ...

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Verstappen had benefitted from the safety car period triggered by a clash between the Toro Rosso drivers to switch to soft tyres and attack his medium-shod rivals in the latter part of the race.However, an overoptimistic move on Ferrari rival Sebastian Vettel ended with the duo making contact and spinning.As a result, Verstappen was handed a 10-second penalty which relegated him to ...

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The French, in only his seventh Formula 1 race, gave the Toro Rosso-Honda package its first points of the season with a sensational drive to fourth.It was the best result for the Honda engine since it returned to the sport in 2015.Gasly had started from fifth on the grid following Toro Rosso's "huge step forward" from Melbourne, but Marko admitted today's result came as a ...

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Appearing together in a show on Austrian broadcaster Servus TV, Lauda said that Mercedes “never talked” to Verstappen about switching teams, and that Red Bull’s rush to re-sign the Dutchman caused it to pay more than it needed to.Red Bull swooped to sign Verstappen up to a long-term contract before Austin, amid fears that Mercedes could try to lure him away.Speculation about such a ...

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Kvyat was dropped from the Red Bull driver programme and Toro Rosso before the end of this year.After initially being replaced by Gasly for the Malaysian and Japanese Grands Prix, he was brought back for the United States race when Carlos Sainz moved to Renault early but was then released ahead of the Mexican GP.Asked by Motorsport.com if he thought Kvyat had more talent than Gasly ...

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Hartley got a surprise Toro Rosso chance for this weekend's United States Grand Prix at Austin, with Carlos Sainz released to join Renault early and Pierre Gasly fighting for the Super Formula title at Suzuka following a two-race stint as Daniil Kvyat's replacement.Red Bull backed Hartley's early single-seater career, which included a Formula Renault Eurocup title and third place in ...

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Reigning GP2 champion Pierre Gasly, 21, made his grand prix debut with Toro Rosso in Malaysia, replacing Daniil Kvyat.The Frenchman will retain the seat in Japan this weekend and is expected to drive for the team in 2018 as well.Marko has given a clear hint that confirmation of Gasly's 2018 seat at Toro Rosso is imminent and he made it clear that the company remains committed to ...

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The Austrian's claims come on the heels of Red Bull's most successful race of the year - the Malaysian Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen stormed to victory and Daniel Ricciardo took third.Marko acknowledged that Red Bull's two drivers benefited from a troubled weekend for Ferrari, but suggested that the Milton Keynes team could have won anyway.“Ferrari had problems,” he told ...

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