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[EwanM]

Merc were scared of Red Bull'

Thursday 18th March 2010
'Merc were scared of Red Bull'

'Merc were scared of Red Bull'


Mercedes-Benz turned down the chance to supply Red Bull with engines this year as they were worried the Milton Keynes-based squad would beat them, according to a Red Bull advisor.

It was an open secret that Red Bull were in negotiations with Mercedes at the back end of 2009 after their Renault engines gave them several problems during the season.

The team, though, opted to extend their two-year association with the French manufacturer at the end of the season.

However, Red Bull motorsport advisor Dr. Helmut Marko now claims that their hand was may have been forced as the German marquee didn't want to supply them with engines as they were worried about being beaten.

Marko told Austria's Servus TV: "They didn't want us. Without being arrogant, they knew that if we had that engine, they wouldn't see us [on the track]."

Red Bull's engine woes don't appear to be over as they again had problems in the season-opening race in Bahrain. Mark Webber's engine appeared to give in during the opening lap after smoke was seen bellowing from his car, and team principal Christian Horner admits he's not sure what happened.

"Honestly, I have no idea. You have to ask Renault," he told the official Formula One website.

Later in the race Sebastian Vettel was robbed from a potential race win when a spark plug failed, much to Horner's frustration.

"It is always frustrating when you are in control of the race, your driver is comfortable with his pace in the car and then to have an unexpected problem," he said. "If that is not frustrating, what is?"

http://www.planetf1.com/news/18227/6033 ... -Red-Bull-

A bit bullish (hehe yes I know) to say the least. I recall Newey designing fast-but-fragile cars with the Merc engine when he was still with his former employer

[scotty]

That is essentially true but at the same time... nah. Too many factors point towards this not being the case. Wish i could put it in a better way than that without having to type paragraph upon paragraph...!

[Jabberwocky]

they do have a point. look how well Ferrari customer engines do?

[Jamie]

I Think this could be took in 2 ways, each and every car is different, Force India and Mercedes are not as good as Lewis + His McLaren it is partly the car, but mainly the drivers skills. In this case Lewis and his McLaren will be far more successful IMO than Vettel + a RedBull Merc will ever be

[Trypt]

In this case Lewis and his McLaren will be far more successful IMO than Vettel + a RedBull Merc will ever be

I don't know about that, if anything, Vettel has shown that he is a serious racer, perhaps better then Lewis.

[hypertek]

redbull's drivetrain is usually the reason they have car problems most of the time, otherwise they have always had great chassis designs that have proved to work.

[Jensonb]

In this case Lewis and his McLaren will be far more successful IMO than Vettel + a RedBull Merc will ever be

I don't know about that, if anything, Vettel has shown that he is a serious racer, perhaps better then Lewis.

Vettel has shown nothing of the sort. Vettel has so far proved only that he can lead from the front. Whenever he's been put in a situation that required actual racing, he's been exceedingly average, occasionally outright abysmal - going into huffs and/or throwing the car into the wall.

[EwanM]

In this case Lewis and his McLaren will be far more successful IMO than Vettel + a RedBull Merc will ever be

I don't know about that, if anything, Vettel has shown that he is a serious racer, perhaps better then Lewis.

Vettel has shown nothing of the sort. Vettel has so far proved only that he can lead from the front. Whenever he's been put in a situation that required actual racing, he's been exceedingly average, occasionally outright abysmal - going into huffs and/or throwing the car into the wall.

I would agree with that. In that driver preview I did for this site I highlighted that very point. Leading from the front is fine, but his race craft is still very questionable.

[scotty]

What Vettel has shown on the other hand is that he's possibly the out and out fastest driver on the grid...

[EwanM]

What Vettel has shown on the other hand is that he's possibly the out and out fastest driver on the grid...

Certainly you need speed, but speed alone won't get you out of a hole. For me he still has a long way to go, and that isn't me wanting to ridicule him too much because I think he is a fantastic talent and I feel that he will only improve with time, age and experience.

MB made the best point on Sunday. Once he developed the problem it seemed to go to his head slightly, his laptimes were up and down and it took him a little while to calm down. I mean he did well to fend of Rosberg once he got his head together.

Again Brundle's example of Spain 1994 was correct.

Lemmie make it clear i'm not anti-Vettel or anything like that, I just think areas of his racing needs to be improved.
I mean if you compare him to Button in Brazil last year, he seemed to be less confident to make the moves when it mattered. Yes Button is oneof the best in the business for that, but it wasn't like Vettel had much to lose unlike the Brit, was it?

[scotty]

I agree, which is why he won't win the title this year despite his speed.

[Trypt]

I still think he has a legitimate chance at the title, if Renault can fix their engine troubles.

[EwanM]

I still think he has a legitimate chance at the title, if Renault can fix their engine troubles.

He'll need to clinch a fair number of poles then

[headless]

I still think he has a legitimate chance at the title, if Renault can fix their engine troubles.

He'll need to clinch a fair number of poles then

That he will

[EwanM]

I still think he has a legitimate chance at the title, if Renault can fix their engine troubles.

He'll need to clinch a fair number of poles then

That he will

Poor Robert.