Red Bull: Helmut Marko harshly criticizes Renault
The first engine block change after a day of testing in 2015 is already a tough pill to swallow for Daniel Ricciardo. For Helmut Marko, the observation is clear: Renault is not up to par in its development work.
Deprived of its world titles in 2014, the Red Bull team starts off tough in the first free practice sessions of the new season. The pure performances seem relatively disappointing, with only a 6th place for Daniil Kvyat during the second Free Practice session, 2.3 seconds behind the best time set by Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes.
But it is above all reliability that poses a problem: Daniel Ricciardo has already had to install his second available engine block out of 4 planned for this season, preventing him from participating in the second session. Although the team seems able to repair the first defective block, contrary to the initial information provided, Helmut Marko indicated that working with Renault seemed difficult.
The head of the young drivers’ program openly lamented, on the Austrian television channel ORF, the engine breakdown after only 50 kilometers. We have a team meeting on Wednesday at the factory in England, he stated. The Renault officials are not even here today to solve the problems with us; they’re only arriving this evening. The Austrian official is clearly getting upset, stating that the situation cannot continue like this. We are constantly being promised that the engine’s performance will be better next time, that the test results are encouraging…
The comparison made with the competition seems to worry the Doctor: « The handling of our cars with this engine is worse than during the winter tests. We wanted to improve, and what we are seeing now is that we have fallen back a bit in the hierarchy. The gap with the top is now frightening. »
The lead taken by Mercedes also inspires fear in the director of the structure, Christian Horner: The real power of our engine is actually the same as the one we had in Abu Dhabi last year.
After a 2014 season already marked by numerous clashes between Red Bull and Renault officials, the pressure is already on the shoulders of the French manufacturer, just hours before the verdict of the first qualifications of this season.
