Helmut Marko, the sports consultant of Red Bull, which has been widely dominating Formula 1 this year, stated that Ferrari and Mercedes have regressed in their concepts during the transition from 2022 to 2023.

According to Helmut Marko, who serves as the sports consultant for Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes regressed in the transition from 2022 to 2023 in Formula 1. When asked about the rivals closing the gap on the Red Bull car in the Canadian Grand Prix, held last weekend, Marko acknowledged a certain drop in performance. However, the Austrian pointed out that his team’s dominance also stems from the difficulties faced by their competitors in terms of progress.

Alongside the admission that the performance of the Red Bull team was slightly below par in the race, Marko took a dig at the rivals in typical fashion. According to the consultant, both Ferrari and Mercedes entered 2023 without any improvements compared to the previous year, which allowed the Austrian team to pull away and leave the competition behind. However, on bad days, the level becomes more evenly matched.

“Everyone thinks that Red Bull is a fantastic [car],” he stated. “Yes, it’s a good car. But Ferrari and Mercedes haven’t improved compared to last year. I think they regressed at the beginning of the season. So, when we’re not at our best, they get closer. It’s as simple as that,” he concluded.

Despite the narrower gap to the cars behind, the Canadian Grand Prix proved to be a comfortable victory for Verstappen. With the battle unfolding for second place between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, the Dutch driver was never bothered throughout the race. In the end, Alonso emerged victorious in the battle against the seven-time champion, who completed the podium in third place.

The triumph of the two-time world champion also resulted in breaking two records in the same weekend: in addition to equalling Ayrton Senna’s 41 victories in Formula 1, Verstappen also secured Red Bull’s 100th victory in the category.