Not only at Red Bull, but also at its competitors Ferrari and Mercedes, there are changes to the driver line-up for the new season. Head of Motorsport Dr. Helmut Marko assessed the personnel castling in an exclusive interview. He hopes that Red Bull opponents will take points from each other in the future.
At Red Bull, the hierarchy between the two drivers Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson is crystal clear: Everything is tailored to the four-time world champion, the young newcomer, who completed six races for Racing Bulls in 2024, is doing an apprenticeship with the Dutchman and is supposed to help win the constructors’ title to bring back.
Red Bull Motorsport Director Dr. Helmut Marko, is the situation at Ferrari. Record world champion Lewis Hamilton is expected there with great anticipation alongside Charles Leclerc – the third-place finisher of the completed Formula 1 season.
If the 81-year-old has his way, the Brit will win the internal duel with the Monegasque – “provided that the Ferrari is competitive,” said Marko in an exclusive interview with RTL/ntv and sport.de.
With Hamilton you see again and again: “When he has a car capable of winning, his brilliance and world championship quality come out again. But I believe that Charles will have the upper hand in qualifying. And that means now if Hamilton, for example, only comes from fifth or sixth place, Charles further up front, then it will be very difficult in the race.”
From the Austrian’s point of view, Hamilton was still the “stronger” of the two in the race. “And above all: He doesn’t make any mistakes, while Charles Leclerc did have incidents one or two times.”
“Antonelli is a risk” for Mercedes
At Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton will be replaced by rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the 18-year-old is currently considered the greatest Formula 1 talent of all.
“Antonelli is a risk,” warns Marko, adding: “But we also took this risk with Max. He was still younger when he got into the Formula 1 car. But he wasn’t in the top team (Red Bulls Sister racing team Toro Rosso, editor’s note) and that’s why there was less pressure for Max.”
The 81-year-old also expressed criticism that Mercedes had let his youngster drive the first training session at the Italian Grand Prix. The decision was “incomprehensible”. Because: “The first three corners were incredibly fast. In the fourth he ended up in the wall or in the guard rails.”
Marko predicts: “So if he skillfully implements his clearly existing strengths and speed and builds up slowly, then he can become a danger. If he tries to use the crowbar, then I think his career is also in danger somewhere.”
Marko draws hope from the McLaren duel
At constructors’ world champion McLaren, Helmut Marko believes that Oscar Piastri will rise, who will be “mentally stronger” than Lando Norris, who showed “some weaknesses and a weak start” in 2024 anyway. “And Piastri is a guy who absolutely wants to get to the top. Next year there will definitely be no team orders from the start.
Marko expects an “interesting duel” at McLaren that could also have something positive for Red Bull. “From this I hope that the drivers of the other top teams will take points from each other and hopefully that will work out in our favor,” said Helmut Marko in an exclusive interview with RTL/ntv and sport.de.