#Formule 1 : Red Bull anticipates a modified Mercedes F1 !!

 It is indeed Red Bull, not Ford, that will be at the heart of the Austrian team's power unit for 2026 and beyond !!

When asked if the talks with Porsche and Ford were happening at the same time, Dr Helmut Marko said no !! 

The energy drink-owned team has been in talks with existing partner Honda, and then Porsche, about potential engine collaborations for the next era of rules. Eventually, Red Bull decided to team up with Ford !! “We got in touch with each other, the negotiations were conducted personally by Chairman Bill Ford and CEO Jim Farley with our team principal Christian Horner, who I supported" !! 

Red Bull Racing currently dominates Formula 1, but behind the scenes there have been a lot of changes - especially after the death of founder Dietrich Mateschitz !! 

Leclerc's confession on Red Bull 

     “I think we are just slow. The tire degradation may be a little big but in the end we just lack performance. We have to push harder in order to squeeze the performance out of the car, which triggers the degradation. We have to look into the matter because, at the moment, we are very far from the race pace of the winner. It is very difficult to separate degradation from performance. In the end we are too slow in the race and because we are too slow we push a lot and destroy the tyres. Red Bull seems to have a lot more performance than us in the race, so they can manage in the early laps and then start to attack, so their degradation is much better. " !!

       “We are a long way from Red Bull so we have to put in the effort and understand what they have found in the off-season because they are on another planet in terms of race pace. For now, we don't know. We are fast in qualifying but we are not in the race, and not by a bit. So I think Red Bull has found something huge somewhere, and we have to find it. It's very difficult to understand because it's obvious that the car doesn't change at all between qualifying and the race. For some reason we are very close to Red Bull over one lap and we are one second away in some parts of the race. It's crazy, this difference. " !! 

Dr Helmut about Mercedes boss 

     Dr Helmut Marko has called "absurdity" Mercedes boss Toto Wolff's claim that Red Bull will win every Grand Prix in 2023 !!

      "It's nonsense," he told the Osterreich newspaper when asked about the comments made not only by Wolff, but also by Mercedes driver George Russell" !! 

Lewis Hamilton 

     For his part, Lewis Hamilton seems determined to sign a new contract with Mercedes, but his frustration with the current situation is also evident !! 

     "Last year I told them about the problems with the car," the seven-time world champion told the BBC. "I've driven so many cars in my life, I know what a car needs."

     "I think it's a question of responsibility, of assuming and saying 'yes, you know what, we didn't listen to you, that's not what is needed and we have to work '" !!