Austrian former professional racing driver and current advisor to Red Bull, Helmut Marko, holds little hope that his team or Scuderia Ferrari will stop Mercedes’ 2019 dominance at the Monaco Grand Prix. Monaco is traditionally a track that has the ability to bunch up the field and produce some surprise results, but after five-straight one-two finishes for the Silver Arrows in 2019, Helmut Marko doesn’t see how anybody can stop them.
He also pointed out that Mercedes are “much faster” in the slow corners, meaning the Monte Carlo circuit should play perfectly into their hands: “The fact that a second-class F2 driver [Mazepin] can set the fastest time in a Mercedes straight away shows how superior Mercedes is. And more superior than ever seen before. What surprises me is that Mercedes didn’t even try to play with hidden cards and didn’t prevent Mazepin from setting the best time. In this way, their superiority becomes even more obvious. Although Mercedes has the longest wheelbase, their advantage there will be even bigger. Their car is a true traction monster and that’s crucial in Monaco. We’ve found something, but it’s not enough yet. When we were not nearly as dominant as them, there were two or three changes in the regulations each year to put us on hold. But nobody seems interested in that at the moment”. – he added.
Regarding Scuderia Ferrari’s possibilities at the 2019 Monaco Grand Prix, given the SF90’s characteristics and limitations as seen in the first five races of the 2019 Formula One season, the Red Bull advisor explained: “If Ferrari can’t generate downforce and traction, they may only be 6th/7th in Monaco. Their weakness was particularly evident in the last sector in Barcelona. Their engine is very good, but they lacked downforce and extremely missing the traction.” – Helmut Marko concluded.
Leave a Reply