Red Bull's Helmut Marko aims dig at Lewis Hamilton over cost breach comments - 'He builds a new front wing with that'
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Updated 08/11/2022 at 13:22 GMT
Lewis Hamilton has been the subject of a dig from Red Bull's Helmut Marko over his comments on the British team's cost breach, with Marko sardonically mocking Hamilton's assertion that Red Bull's overspend could've changed the outcome of last year's Formula One World Championship. It was ultimately won by Red Bull's Max Verstappen, but the recriminations rumble on and on.
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Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko has aimed a dig at Lewis Hamilton for suggesting that the British team's overspend last season could've contributed to a different outcome in the title race.
Max Verstappen snatched a highly controversial win in the final race of the 2021 campaign to secure the title, with then-race director Michael Masi ruled to have incorrectly applied the rules in the Abu Dhabi decider.
The 'cost cap' saga has layered another layer of intrigue to that, with Red Bull found guilty of committing a "minor" breach of the F1 budget cap last season.
Red Bull have received criticism from teams, drivers and pundits alike, with Hamilton being one of those.
“What I can say is I remember last year at Silverstone we had our last upgrade,” said the Mercedes driver at last month's Japanese GP. “But then we would see Red Bull every weekend, or every other weekend, bringing upgrades. They had, I think, at least four more upgrades from that point.
“If we spent £300,000 on a new floor, or adapted a wing, it would have changed the outcome of the championship naturally because we would have been in better competition in the next race if you add it on."
Marko has responded to those claims with his own take on the situation, scoffing at Hamilton's suggestion.
"It was the first year of the budget cap," he told Auto Motor Sport. "The rules were vague. They [Formula 1] reacted late with clarifications. We had [auditors] Ernst & Young check everything. You have to rely on something.
"We thought we had a safety net of $3million [£2.6m]. In the end there was only $400,000 [£350,000] left.
"With that money, Hamilton constructs a front wing. Haas [who also criticised Red Bull] make a whole new car."
This may not be the end of the 'cost cap' saga, with Marko warning of multiple teams having issues with this year's limit.
"I think the current status is that six teams are over it," he said. "Inflation is something that was not calculable to that extent. Especially when it comes to energy costs."
Away from the track, Marko reflected on the death of Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz, and how he thinks his team will inevitably run differently from next year onwards.
"Certainly a lot will change. It was de facto autocracy," Marko said.
"But Red Bull Racing is the group's strongest and most efficient marketing tool. We have worked very independently in the past. We were the only ones who didn't have to follow certain company rules. This autonomy existed with the consent of Mateschitz.
"But it has already leaked out that the new management wants to continue Formula 1 activities. Like now, with a relatively strong independence."
Marko, who said 2022 would go down as Red Bull's "best season ever" due to the competition being "much bigger and better", believes Verstappen's record of 14 race wins in a season - which may yet increase - will be hard to beat, even with F1 adding more races next term.
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Marko said: "It's fair to say that there are a lot more races today. But after a few months everyone forgets what the base was.
"It will certainly not be easy to set this record again. And we mustn't forget: There are still two races to go."
Ahead of this weekend's Brazilian GP, Hamilton was made an honorary citizen of Brazil, leading on from his lifetime admiration of Ayrton Senna.
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