The start of the 2022 season might’ve not been the most ideal for Red Bull. However, ever since the 2022 Emilia Romagna GP, Red Bull has been untouchable. The Austrian team extended the gap considerably in 2023 and their 100% record in the season is a testament to that. This made many point fingers at Red Bull for foul play, including Lewis Hamilton. The Brit even labeled the RB19 a rocketship when Max Verstappen overtook him with DRS. For a second, even the FIA took an interest and started poking around the Red Bull garage. Although, despite hundreds of tests, there is no evidence of foul play and Red Bull has bragging rights which translated to a brutal slamming of Hamilton by Red Bull’s technical director.
This isn’t the first time Hamilton is criticized for his suggestions about the vastly superior Red Bull challenger. The Brit has earned his fair share and is still being subjected to some brutal comments from the Red Bull family. Now, speaking to Motorsport, the technical director Pierre Wache explained the team introduced the concept two years ago but is reaping the rewards now. In fact, apart from the Mercedes man, he ridiculed the entire grid for their limited understanding.
“What is crazy is that the people speak about that two years after we introduced it. We have had hundreds of tests from the FIA to check if we had a trick of whatever, and the people [even recently] don’t understand why, on the very high downforce tracks, the advantage disappears. Okay [it means] they still don’t understand then. That very much surprises us,” Waché ravages the competition.
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Although, despite all the appreciation for RB19, Red Bull’s advisor Dr. Helmut Marko still believes Verstappen is the variable factor.
Helmut Marko makes Max Verstappen the variable factor for success despite the suggestion from Lewis Hamilton
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The Dutchman has been in scintillating form since the 2022 season. No one could believe he could level up but that is exactly what he did in 2023. Perhaps he took the instigation from Sergio Perez too personally because Verstappen is clearly the difference-maker despite the superiority of the RB19. Verstappen proved that with his 22.5-second gap at the chequered flag to Perez in the Belgian GP. Same car, different drivers and that’s the difference, according to Helmut Marko as well.
He said, “It’s Verstappen. You have to compare it with Perez. If we look at the race pace , then Checo is among the top five drivers, but his weak point is qualifying. The RB19 is certainly the most universal and the fastest car of the moment, but it is the superiority, this obvious superiority, that comes from Max Verstappen.”
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We can’t help but agree with Dr. Marko as Verstappen is definitely a class apart regardless of the car he is driving. Will he be beaten this season if we take out a failure to finish out of the equation?
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