Marko: Red Bull should win more than five races in 2020
- Published on 17 Jan 2020 17:20
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- By: Fergal Walsh
Red Bull should win more than five races in 2020 as it enters its second year in partnership with power unit supplier Honda, says Dr Helmut.
Marko, who acts as an advisor to Red Bull and heads its junior driver programme, predicted that the energy drink squad would win five races in 2019.
Max Verstappen took three victories throughout the year, however the team was competitive at many more races during the campaign.
MORE: Verstappen: Red Bull can 'never be satisfied' despite positive 2019 season with Honda | Verstappen extends Red Bull contract to the end of 2023
Marko was reluctant to state an exact number on how many races his team could win this year, but states that more than five is what it should aim for.
"I don't want to pin down to a specific number, but I think it should be more than five," he told Motorsport.com. "In addition, I also think that we will not see escapades like those at Ferrari in the coming year."
Marko heaps praise on reformed Gasly
Marko was also in praise of Pierre Gasly, who impressed many following his demotion back to Toro Rosso midway through the season.
MORE: Gasly was confident of being competitive at Toro Rosso following mid-season demotion
The Frenchman underperformed at Red Bull and was replaced by Alexander Albon, but showcased strong pace during the second half of the year, picking up a podium finish in Brazil.
It marked a stark contrast to the form of Daniil Kvyat following his demotion to Toro Rosso in 2016, as he struggled to perform after losing his seat at Red Bull to Verstappen.
"In contrast to Kvyat, who was completely devastated by it, Gasly flourished again at Toro Rosso," stated Marko.
"That is great for him, but also for us. I think he has learned from it and that he has drawn the right conclusions from six months at Red Bull."
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Replies (9)
Login to replyajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
Either the Red Bull will have to be massively improved, of Albon will have to somehow find another 5 tenths of pace. Otherwise, it's all Max again against the world
Ram Samartha
Posts: 1,172
Didn't he also say 5 for 2019? Honda did make massive steps in reliability last year and picked up the pace with their last 2019 spec engine, so they very well could be in the hunt for the title, but it kind of depends on how much improvement Merc makes as well as Ferrari. Ferrari just can't seem to get out of their own way and Seb just doesn't have the leadership quality to be a good number 1 driver. Good article on the official F1 site analyzing RBR's chances at fighting for a title this year. If Max can stay settled and win some races cleanly they might even get more than 5 if Albon steps up. I think we will see some great racing from him in 2020. Still hard to write 2020, when the fingers still want to type 2019. Ham's been laying down the gauntlet and hyping himself up to be a "machine" in 2020 so I think he's going to be hard to beat. He's already playing the psychological game, and everyone knows he's the one you've got to beat to get the title in 2020. I think he'll go for 8 titles before he retires just to put those records way out of reach for anyone to break. I think the reason Marko said 5 again is because they know that 5 tracks suit their car the best, but they pulled out a few surprises the last half of 2019 and Newey is fully focused on the car these days instead of off designing boats or whatever. Horner may be right that it could be a classic season. I'm looking for McLaren to pull off some surprise podiums and maybe even a win this year as well, so I think they are going to shake up the order of the top three a bit.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Yes, he said a similar thing ahead of 2019, and as per what has been said before: if Albon keeps it up and Max don't repeat Spa 2019, if RB's 2020 car isn't as tricky with tyres and if Honda catches up further with Ferrari and Merc', they could have a chance.
Kean
Posts: 692
Prediction: I think Max will challenge Hamilton for the title, it will be decided late but Hammy will come out on top. Don't have faith in Ferrari, I think they will tread water or slip back. McLaren will continue to make gains and in some races take the fight to Ferrari. Renault will make small gains, but I think Racing Point and Haas will make greater gains so eventually Renault will wind up 6th or 7th making this Abitebouls last year. Alpha Tauri will be clearly ahead of Alfa Romeo and sometimes battle Renault, Haas and Racing Point. Alfa Romeo will wind up 2nd to last but still miles ahead of WIlliams.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
I kinda agree with your predictions. My clear Honda bias aside, I too think RBH will get a decent leap, and I think ATH will follow suit. I might switch HAAS and AR though. I would also say I think the barrier between the top 3 and the mid will be greater than 2019, sadly. So we could see
Merc RBH Ferrari
Renault McLaren
RP ATH AR
Haas
Williams
Ram Samartha
Posts: 1,172
I think VER is going to do well, but I just don't see him winning enough races to beat Ham, and we can't discount BOT and LeClerc in 2020. Nobody thought Nico could beat HAM, so if Bottas steps up he could have a chance.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
True, but that's a big if though, and one I don't quite see him do. Remember, Rosberg had consistently been up there with Hammy since 2014, and was on a roll since the start of 2016. Bottas just hasn't shown that kinda endurance yet, so I will, as of present, discount him. There is Albon too of course, though I don't quite think he is up for it either, so I'll eliminate him too. But Leclerc and Vettel will both try their best, and a wise Ferrari will let them play fetch while not crashing into each other. Much depends on how good the cars are, I feel.
mcbhargav
Posts: 1,332
If Redbull wins 6 races, they are going to be champions in at least one category. With no ramp down in Mercedes, it’s not happening IMO.
Pistonhead
Posts: 556
For the sake of F1 we need a new champion but I don't see anyone being able to take the silverware off both Mercedes or Hamilton in 2020. 2021 feels like a better chance of doing so. Verstappen will be stronger again but can he do it over a 21/22 race season... bring it on !!!