“According to our information”: Red Bull expects Lewis Hamilton to be punished

Max Verstappen is going into the last five races of the Formula 1 season with a small margin. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko assumes, however, that rival Lewis Hamilton will be pushed back again. It could be the decisive disadvantage in a world championship fight.

It may just be a guess that Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko made. But this “information”, to which the Austrian referred in an interview with RTL / ntv, could bring the decisive advantage in the fight for the world championship in Formula 1. Of course, this is only an advantage for those who keep up with the current World Cup leader Max Verstappen in Red Bull service. For those who bet on Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes, it is less good “information” that Marko speaks of and that “one gets”. Because the eighth world title would be much more difficult to achieve, and the addition of “record world champion” would then continue to be shared by the Briton with Michael Schumacher.

Marko and thus also Red Bull assume that “Hamilton will probably get another engine penalty.” It is unclear, “whether five or ten places, but that should definitely speak in our favor.” This penalty would be inevitable if parts of the engine on the defending champion’s Mercedes were exchanged beyond the permitted limit. At the Turkish Grand Prix at the beginning of October, Hamilton was moved back ten places on the grid, and team-mate Valtteri Bottas was forced to move back in three of the four most recent races.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said at the time in Istanbul that “some engines simply failed with the Silver Arrows. Now the task is to get the problem under control”, since a new development “in this phase” no longer makes sense. The Mercedes customer teams Aston Martin and Williams are also affected by the lack of reliability, at the US Grand Prix Sebastian Vettel and George Russell had to start from the back because of new parts.

Red Bull consultant Marko also indicates that such an exchange is no longer planned for Verstappen. The Dutchman changed the engine in Russia, but in the rain of Sochi he impressively limited the resulting loss of points in the World Cup with an outstanding drive from 20th place on the grid to P2 behind winner Hamilton at the finish. In view of the current only twelve points lead (Verstappen stands at 287.5 and Hamilton at 275.5), Marko expects “that the decision will be made in the last race” anyway. Provided that “both drivers [in den verbleibenden fünf Grands Prix, Anm. d. Red.] get to the finish “.

“The whole picture is of course drastically different, should it come to a breakdown, be it an accident or technical nature,” as the Red Bull motorsport consultant explains in an interview with RTL / ntv. If Verstappen wins the title in the end, it would be the end of Mercedes dominance in the hybrid era that began in 2014 and the first world championship for Red Bull since Sebastian Vettel’s quadruple success between 2010 and 2013. “I think the pressure is psychological bigger is for Mercedes, “says Marko. Especially when the “information” on which the 78-year-old is based his assessment actually results in a grid penalty for Hamilton.

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