(Motorsport-Total.com) – After Mercedes’ protest rejected Red Bull Motorsports advisor Helmut Marko fired sharp blows against the top contender against the race result in the Formula 1 final in Abu Dhabi. Marko says: “It is not befitting of a World Cup final that the decision be postponed in this way. But this speaks in favor of a situation, as I say, an unworthy loser, if you present such objections and protests.”
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Helmut Marko (centre) celebrates Max Verstappen’s world title (right)
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He suspects Mercedes is an insult to honor. “We broke the dominance of seven years with a young, excited young team,” Marko says, adding, “It is disgusting what I did after the race to protest that it was clearly not going to work. That is a very bad loser for me.”
Mercedes left an official objection to the hosts’ decision, but Marko no longer cared. “We don’t care. We’re the moral winners, whether it comes one way or the other,” he explains. At the same time, the 78-year-old publicly threatens to leave Formula 1 if nothing changes in certain circumstances.
“We will rethink our participation in Formula 1, if it does not have a corresponding impact on future championships,” he says clearly. What he specifically advocates is a review of rules and decision-making processes in the first place.
Marco demands personal consequences
Marco says: “The whole system needs to be reconsidered. Immutability is part of it, decisions can’t even be interpreted that way, and the rules have to be simplified. The premise should be: Let’s race!”
The rules should be “so that a quick decision can be made and the officials have to make it in a matter of seconds. And those decisions can’t vary much,” he alludes to the penalties of past races.
At the center of criticism was repeatedly race director Michael Massey. This caused chaos in Abu Dhabi with his final decisions. Although Red Bull ultimately benefited from this, Marko also considers personal consequences inevitable after testing for the season.
“After making many mistakes and questionable decisions, there is definitely a great need to work. Now a new president is coming in, so he would like to start here first,” Marko says, referring to the successor to FIA President Jean Todt. December is elected. And the hosts should “definitely” ask him anyway.
Horner: Verstappen is the deserved champion
Red Bull boss Christian Horner was “very disappointed” with the way things went after the race in Abu Dhabi. However, it was an ‘unbelievable year’ and the team was ‘very proud’ of new world champion Max Verstappen and ‘the whole team’. Verstappen is a “deserved world champion, no one can take that from him”.
However, Marko admits, Verstappen followed uncertainty with tension until the hosts judged.
“He was a bit nervous. Much more nervous than he was before the start,” says the Austrian, who witnessed a “campaign” against his driver. “It was great how he faced the pressure,” Marco says. The new hero himself spoke of a “very stressful day in general” that he wanted to end with a “little drink”.
Unsurprisingly, in Horner’s opinion, the hosts made the “right decision” to crush Mercedes’ protest. Massey decided despite violating his own FIA regulations regarding racing.
“Michael wanted to let them drive and that’s something we’ve been talking about for years. Niki Lauda once started with the concept of ‘let them race,'” Horner says.
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