In just a few years, Red Bull wants to build its own engines for Formula 1. The project has already started and is well planned in Milton Keynes. Some wild rumors have recently been circulating in this context. dr Helmut Marko has now firmly rejected this.
Red Bull will face some major challenges in the coming years. On the one hand, the team in Formula 1 wants to continue to compete regularly for titles. How much effort this requires is well known. At the same time, however, they also want to build “Red Bull Powertrains” – a separate engine department where the units are manufactured that are to be used in the new era from 2025 or 2026.
How exactly this department will be staffed is not yet entirely clear. Some managerial positions have already been filled, while others have not. For this reason, there are always rumors about employees that Red Bull could poach from the competition.
One of the names that has recently been mentioned in this context is that of ex-Renault team boss Cyril Abiteboul. English media have claimed that the Frenchman is about to join the Red Bulls. However, Helmut Marko knows nothing about it.
“I really don’t know where this nonsense comes from. It’s absolute nonsense,” Marko brushed aside the rumors to “f1-insider”. “Ben Hodgkinson is the head of our engine project and will remain so,” the Austrian made unmistakably clear. Hodgkinson is one of the employees Red Bull was able to pry away from its direct competition – Mercedes.
Marko: Red Bull and Mercedes will also be ahead in 2022
However, the engine construction project is by no means the only topic Red Bull is dealing with these days. Of course, the focus is also on the 2022 Formula 1 season, which will officially start in less than two months. This raises the question of whether the racing team can again act on an equal footing with Mercedes and whether the two teams will even be able to defend their status as top dogs.
“We want to defend Max Verstappen’s title and are very well positioned to do so,” Marko is convinced. However, the Austrian does not believe that another racing team could outstrip his team and the Silver Arrows: “There is no reason to assume that Mercedes and we are not the favorites this year as well.” He sees the only possibility for this if another team has found “the philosopher’s stone”.
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