Helmut Marko’s pecking order assessment: “Ferrari are the fastest and then it’s Red Bull and Mercedes”

Red Bull motorsports consultant Dr Helmut Marko has been speaking to Sky Sports News and reflects on the pecking order based on the data and impressions from the first four days of testing at the Circuit de Catalunya: “Ferrari are at the moment the fastest car and then it’s Red Bull and Mercedes.” – he admitted – “After the opening three days of 2019 testing, the provisional pecking order is Ferrari in the lead, half a second ahead of Mercedes. We see Ferrari ahead of us at the moment, but we are not worried about the times. We are a little behind Ferrari and a bit infront of Mercedes but not by that much.” – he explained.

“The performance of Ferrari impressed us. They went out and were from the beginning very fast and competitive. However, it’s the first testing days and we don’t know the fuel load, but we are not frightened by Ferrari’s performance, because our car which you see here will not be the one running at Melbourne.” – he added.

Regarding Red Bull’s new Honda engine, Dr Helmut Marko reports that “the engine is reliable and I can say we would never have had such a good preparation for the season. It’s a very good relationship. The concern was reliability but so far it’s not a problem at all.” – he concluded, as rumours about excessive engine vibrations were denied.