Marko: Red Bull is "dominating" F1 but needs to address reliability
Helmut Marko says Red Bull is “dominating” Formula 1 after an “unbelievable” run of form, but still needs to address its occasional reliability woes.
Max Verstappen scored his sixth victory of the 2022 season in the Canadian Grand Prix last Sunday, opening up a 46-point lead at the top of the drivers’ championship.
It marked Red Bull’s sixth win in a row and seventh in the nine races so far this year, giving it a commanding lead at the top of the constructors’ championship.
The turnaround for Verstappen’s fortunes has been rapid this year. Following two DNFs in the first three races, he sat 45 points behind Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc, only to enjoy a massive swing in the period since Australia.
Red Bull advisor Marko urged caution over Verstappen’s lead, noting “how quickly it can turn around” in F1, but was buoyed by the team’s recent form and streak of victories.
“The main thing is you have to finish and avoid those reliability things,” Marko told Autosport.
“We also had a sprint race, which helped us a lot to get more points.
“We have an unbelievable run now, normally in the first half of the season we were always catching up and now are dominating.
“You have to say that if you win seven races out of the first nine, that is domination.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
The run of form has seen Red Bull enjoy its best start to an F1 season since 2011, when Sebastian Vettel won six of the first eight races en route to a dominant victory in both championships.
But there have still been some reliability concerns for Red Bull through the early part of the year. Verstappen failed to finish in Bahrain and Australia due to a fuel line issue, while team-mate Sergio Perez was sidelined early in Canada by a gearbox problem.
"Reliability is always a concern if you have a car that is so much on the limit,” Marko said.
“You see that at Ferrari. The only ones who don’t have a technical DNF yet is Mercedes, but they had to lift during some races because of overheating problems.”
Red Bull is set to investigate what happened to Perez’s gearbox in Canada, but team principal Christian Horner said that it “looked like a gearbox failure”.
“It was certainly something in the driveline, the engine looks fine,” Horner said. “So until we get it back, it’s difficult to say. But it’s a suspected gearbox.”
Schumacher not losing faith in points breakthrough after Canada F1 misery
Vettel had freedom to keep Canada "climate crime" helmet for race
Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1?
Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1? Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1?
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
How ‘demanding’ Alonso has started life with Aston Martin
How ‘demanding’ Alonso has started life with Aston Martin How ‘demanding’ Alonso has started life with Aston Martin
Video: Mighty Max's domination at the F1 Monaco GP
Video: Mighty Max's domination at the F1 Monaco GP Video: Mighty Max's domination at the F1 Monaco GP
Why Alonso and Aston made the call that guaranteed Verstappen's Monaco victory
Why Alonso and Aston made the call that guaranteed Verstappen's Monaco victory Why Alonso and Aston made the call that guaranteed Verstappen's Monaco victory
F1 Monaco GP: Verstappen survives late rain to defeat Alonso
F1 Monaco GP: Verstappen survives late rain to defeat Alonso F1 Monaco GP: Verstappen survives late rain to defeat Alonso
Piastri learned from following Verstappen in wet Monaco GP
Piastri learned from following Verstappen in wet Monaco GP Piastri learned from following Verstappen in wet Monaco GP
Revealed: Three key speed secrets of Newgarden's Indy 500 win
Revealed: Three key speed secrets of Newgarden's Indy 500 win Revealed: Three key speed secrets of Newgarden's Indy 500 win
McLaren hires top Red Bull engineer Rob Marshall as new F1 technical director
McLaren hires top Red Bull engineer Rob Marshall as new F1 technical director McLaren hires top Red Bull engineer Rob Marshall as new F1 technical director
Alpine to reveal its 2024 LMDh contender at Le Mans
Alpine to reveal its 2024 LMDh contender at Le Mans Alpine to reveal its 2024 LMDh contender at Le Mans
Why the highlight of F1 2023 so far should end Monaco's calendar slot debate
Why the highlight of F1 2023 so far should end Monaco's calendar slot debate Why the highlight of F1 2023 so far should end Monaco's calendar slot debate
Monaco Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023
Monaco Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023 Monaco Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023
Why Alonso and Aston made the call that guaranteed Verstappen's Monaco victory
Why Alonso and Aston made the call that guaranteed Verstappen's Monaco victory Why Alonso and Aston made the call that guaranteed Verstappen's Monaco victory
The factors for and against a Red Bull upset in F1’s Monaco GP
The factors for and against a Red Bull upset in F1’s Monaco GP The factors for and against a Red Bull upset in F1’s Monaco GP
What Aston Martin's Honda deal reveals about its true F1 mindset
What Aston Martin's Honda deal reveals about its true F1 mindset What Aston Martin's Honda deal reveals about its true F1 mindset
Would Hamilton really be a worthwhile F1 investment for Ferrari?
Would Hamilton really be a worthwhile F1 investment for Ferrari? Would Hamilton really be a worthwhile F1 investment for Ferrari?
Why the growing pains of F1’s cost-cap era require patience
Why the growing pains of F1’s cost-cap era require patience Why the growing pains of F1’s cost-cap era require patience
Has F1 gone too far with its sprint race format tweaks?
Has F1 gone too far with its sprint race format tweaks? Has F1 gone too far with its sprint race format tweaks?
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.