Thread by @JunaidSamodien_

#AMuS The death of Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz shook the entire group. In an interview, Helmut Marko talks about how things are going with Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri, what Max's record win means and how severe the FIA ​​​​penalty for exceeding the budget cap weighs.

Can you compare Max Verstappen's record season to Sebastian Vettel's best 2013 with 13 wins?

Helmut Marko: It's fair to say that there are a lot more races today. But after a few months everyone forgets what the base was.

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Marko: "It will certainly not be easy to set this record again. And we mustn't forget: There are still two races to go."

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Do you expect that the field with the budget cap will be closer together in the next few years and that this record will then hardly be beaten?

Marko: So far, the budget cap hasn't changed anything at all. Why should that be different in the future?

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Marko: You just have to develop better. Of course, it hits us that we already have fewer wind tunnel hours after winning the Constructors' Championship. Every attempt has to be successful with us now. In the end, it always comes down to the quality of the staff.

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How important is it now to secure second place in the drivers' standings with Sergio Perez?

Marko: If you have already achieved everything else, then you go for such sweets. You also need an incentive for people to keep them motivated.

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Would you describe 2022 as Red Bull's best season ever?

Marko: Yes, because the competition is much bigger and better.

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Was the success more to do with the driver or more with the car?

Marko: It depends on both. You saw in the early stages of the season that Max was as fast as Perez in a car that didn't suit his driving style. If the car fits, it's half a second faster.

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What do you say to the critics who claim the car was designed for Verstappen and against Perez?

Marko: Of course that's nonsense. The main problem was being overweight. We're a little over it now.

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Was weight more of an issue than aerodynamics?

Marko: Not much was missing with the Aero.

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At the start of the season, would you have believed that things would turn around like that?

Marko: No... what was Max's statement again in Australia: I need 36 races to catch up? That would have been a bit difficult in a year. We then intensified our program.

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Marko: The errors were analyzed. The first two retirements were on the side of Red Bull Racing. The third failure was Honda. Then we improved quality control.

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Will the death of Dietrich Mateschitz change anything in the Formula 1 program?

Marko: Certainly a lot will change. It was de facto autocracy. But Red Bull Racing is the group's strongest and most efficient marketing tool. We have worked very independently in the past.

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Marko: We were the only ones who didn't have to follow certain company rules. This autonomy existed with the consent of Mateschitz. But it has already leaked out that the new management wants to continue Formula 1 activities. Like now, with a relatively strong independence.

Is Alpha Tauri on the brink?

Marko: The group is doing well. There is no financial need to sell the team. There is more of a need to bring the team back to a higher level in terms of sport.

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Does Red Bull make money with the F1 team or does money have to be put into it?

Marko: For the amount that is paid in, RB is disproportionately represented on the car. If you took away the Red Bull advertising and sold it to commercial sponsors then we would be highly positive.

What about the Red Bull Ring?

Marko: It is owned by the Mateschitz Foundation. It's separate from the group. There is a sponsorship deal between Red Bull and Projekt Spielberg. You'll have to see how things go with the private foundation. But that is independent of Red Bull.

Are you also rethinking your personal role? Is quitting without Mateschitz an option?

Marko: There will soon be business negotiations in Thailand. I'm independent. It depends on the overall structure. But we still have a lot to do. It's going well. We work very efficiently.

What about the junior program? It wasn't that successful lately.

Marko: That's why we signed De Vries.

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Who is still on board from the juniors for the coming season?

Marko: Hadjar races in F2. Crawford is still there. Iwasa too. We also have a couple of new riders, but we'll be announcing them later.

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Marko: Lawson was very quick in his F1 test. He will be driving in Japan next year and will be one of our reserve drivers for Formula 1.

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Was the FIA's penalty for the budget offense justified?

Marko: It was the first year of the budget cap. The rules were vague. They reacted late with clarifications. We had Ernst & Young check everything.

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Marko: We thought we had a safety net of three million. In the end there was only $400,000 left.

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What did Mateschitz say about the whole affair?

Marko: A meeting was planned for the week after Mexico. It didn't come to that anymore. Mateschitz has taken so many beatings throughout his career.

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Marko: Red Bull has faced many allegations in recent years. So there's a certain fighting spirit there.

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Can you rule out a story like this blooming again in 2022?

Marko: I think the current status is that six teams are over it. Inflation is something that was not calculable to that extent. Especially when it comes to energy costs.

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You won't be using as much electricity in the near future if the wind tunnel is running less.

Marko: The problem with our wind tunnel is that it is a post-war product. It was set up by the English Ministry of Defence. It is under monument protection.

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Marko: It's insanely long and not isolated. It takes a while to heat up. When it's cold outside, it takes even longer.

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Adrian Newey has been complaining for a long time.

Marko: That's why we're building a new wind tunnel on our site. Which is actually idiotic, because the whole development is going towards CFD simulations. That's 50 million again because you couldn't agree.

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When will the wind tunnel be ready?

Marko: The building is already there. The wind tunnel is practically drawn into this. It will probably take another two to three years before everything is ready.

INTERVIEW IN GERMAN HERE auto-motor-und-sport.de/formel-1/helmu…