Home

F1

Not Max Verstappen or Charles Leclerc: Red Bull Chief Picks This F1 Driver for ‘Surprise of the Year’

Published 08/07/2022, 12:25 PM EDT

Follow Us

via Reuters

Red Bull are in a league of their own in the current season with a massive lead in both the championships. With the pace Red Bull is progressing at currently, they will be out of touching distance before the season ends. Heading into the summer break with this incredible lead the Red Bull hierarchy is not worrying too much and watching the drama unfold.

The drama was kick-started by the retirement news of Sebastian Vettel, a four-time world champion with Red Bull. Vettel’s retirement lead to a vacancy at Aston Martin, which was quickly filled by Fernando Alonso. Alonso’s announcement caught everyone by surprise, even his current team, Alpine. Aston Martin quickly moved on to the two-time world champion despite his advanced age.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

However, Red Bull’s advisor Helmut Marko feels Aston Martin has made a brilliant acquisition and Alonso is still capable.

“He’s (Fernando Alonso) super fast. It’s unbelievable how much racing he delivers, the surprise of the year for me. I even think he’s still capable of victories as a driver. The only question is whether Aston Martin can provide him with the package,” said Marko. (Translated by Google)

It is difficult to disagree with the Red Bull Advisor, as Alonso has been really quick this year. However, due to driver errors and reliability issues of the car, he is lagging behind in the championship. Aside from the P2 start at the Canadian GP being the highlight of his season, the Spaniard has also been showcasing his incredible defending skills in races.

Red Bull Concedes to Aston Martin as Green RB Debacle Comes to a Close

The aforementioned comments from Marko arose during a discussion of Vettel’s retirement. For Vettel, the Austrian’s assessment was a bit unexpected.

Red Bull advisor understands the reason behind Sebastian Vettel’s retirement

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Talking about the retiring German, the former racing driver shared his honest opinion. Reminiscing, he said, “With his meticulousness, Vettel fitted our DNA perfectly, everything worked together perfectly.”

via Getty

“He has other priorities now, he doesn’t even make it onto the podium with his car. So it is logical that he draws the consequences. If you don’t put your heart into it, nothing goes on,” he continued while discussing Vettel’s decision.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest F1 stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Watch This Story: Helmut Marko Blasts Lewis Hamilton for Role in Michael Masi Sacking

The Red Bull advisor is an honest man, and his assessment of Alonso and Vettel is quite close to reality. However, it would be interesting to see if Alonso can still win a race or not in the coming seasons.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Mahim Suhalka

2,201Articles

One take at a time

Mahim Suhalka is an F1 Author at EssentiallySports. This Sports Management post-graduate is an ardent supporter of the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team and their lead driver, Lewis Hamilton. The fact that Lewis dominated one of the most expensive sports in the world for all these years, despite his humble beginnings, has been a huge inspiration for Mahim and has made him a tenured fan of the competitive sport itself.
Show More>

Edited by:

Ranvijay Singh