What A Terrible Sad News For Red Bull” Top Red Bull Driver Has Been Banned
RB and Red Bull’s rivals have been up in arms ever since Helmut Marko revealed last year there would be closer collaboration between Red Bull’s two Formula 1 teams as “do-it-yourself constructions are the wrong way”.
‘Visually ours is among those which look the least like the RB19’
This had McLaren chief Zak Brown calling for “sporting fairness”, telling Sky Sports: “We still have some work to do around regulations for the future, to kind of make sure this A/B team and co-ownerships doesn’t kind of take away from the sporting fairness now that we have this cost cap.”
But while the VCARB 01 does have some resemblance to the RB19, most notably with the sidepods, Mekies points out that several cars on this year’s grid also take inspiration from the Red Bull.
In fact, he reckons the VCARB 01 is the car that “least” looks like last year’s Red Bull.
“Our car is not the Red Bull of last year, it simply isn’t, and if anyone feels like analysing it technically, they will see it,” he told Motorsport Italy.
“All our rivals, without exception, tried to find inspiration looking at the RB19, so did we, but we know from Formula 1 history that copying is not something unusual.
“We see it even today in the paddock, no two cars are identical or even close to being identical, and I would add that after seeing all the cars in the pitlane I can say that visually ours is among those which look the least like the RB19.
“Nobody from Red Bull is interested in playing around in grey areas of the rules, and fortunately for us the rules are very clear. We share some components that the rules allow, as does half the pitlane.”
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‘We have not seen a Williams on pole or a Haas on the podium’
Mekies also rubbished the idea that sharing parts automatically comes with improved performance, citing Williams’ relationship with Mercedes and Haas’ with Ferrari as proof of this.
Instead, he reckons it allows smaller teams with less budget more of an opportunity.
“We have not seen a Williams on pole or a Haas on the podium, and this is because the shareable components did not include parts that were particularly significant in terms of performance, instead focusing on parts with a high development/cost ratio,” he insisted.
“These regulations also aimed to favour a new business model, to offer the possibility for a Formula 1 team to compete on the track without obliging it to make very significant investments in certain components, such as transmissions.
“I would like to point out that even at such a favourable time for F1 on the financial front, our owners continue to allocate budget every year, and I think this is the case for a large part of the grid.”
Ex-F1 driver Ralf Schumacher has questioned how much Lewis Hamilton will be able to “contribute” to Ferrari’s success in 2025.
Hamilton will leave Mercedes for Ferrari at the end of this season, bringing an end to his long-term association with the German brand.
The seven-time world champion has endured a tough start with Mercedes in 2024, scoring just eight points – his worst start to a campaign since 2009.
Schumacher – who raced in F1 between 1997 and 2007 – feels Hamilton doesn’t have the “qualities” Max Verstappen has.
“He will certainly bring his expertise and insights, but I think Ferrari is already well on its way. Hamilton won’t be able to contribute too much,” Schumacher told formel1.de.
“I’m sure Vasseur wouldn’t pay that much money for nothing. He will offer and give Hamilton everything to ensure he can perform.
“Hamilton is of course a seven-time World Champion and a fantastic driver. But I don’t think he has the qualities that Verstappen has.
“I don’t think he is as consistent as Verstappen. And he cannot get that extra tenth out at any cost.”
Schumacher also questioned Hamilton’s commitment when the car isn’t competitive.
“Hamilton has to feel like he can win to be able to drive fast,” he added.
“So the question is will he keep up with the times when the new rules come in? Because with new rules, the driving style also changes, and he may have difficulty with that.”
Former Renault boss – and manager of Fernando Alonso – Flavio Briatore has also raised similar concerns.
“He is one of those drivers who doesn’t put much effort into it if the car isn’t good,” he told RAI.
