The banter between Red Bull and Mercedes seems to be never-ending. After the Italian Grand Prix, Toto Wolff said that records are only for Wikipedia pages. Helmut Marko has come up with his response to that statement.
Max Verstappen won the Italian Grand Prix and broke a record once held by Sebastian Vettel for most consecutive race wins. This record is a major milestone in Max Verstappen’s career. From the way things look, he will continue to break records until he retires from the sport.
Soon after Max broke the record, Toto Wolff said: “Those numbers, it is for Wikipedia and nobody reads that anyway.”. While this was a controversial statement made by the Mercedes Boss, Helmut Marko has given his response to the statement.
Helmut Marko hits back at Toto Wolff’s ‘wikipedia’ comments
“Wikipedia is one of the most read mediums — maybe someone can tell Wolff that.”
“We go about our business without making up all these sorts of stories like they do. But we won’t worry about Mercedes, Wolff or… pic.twitter.com/vpyXftHxaK
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) September 6, 2023
“Wikipedia is one of the most read mediums — maybe someone can tell Wolff that.” Helmut Marko said “We go about our business without making up all these sorts of stories like they do. But we won’t worry about Mercedes, Wolff, or Hamilton until they become a serious rival for us again.”
Seems like Helmut Marko does not consider Mercedes to be a serious rival. Since 2014, Mercedes have won a total of 8 WCCs. There is no doubt that Mercedes are capable of developing a fast car. However, they have not been able to do so in the last 2 years when compared to Red Bull.
Can Mercedes challenge Red Bull in 2024?
Although Mercedes was far behind in development during the 2022 season, they seem to have made some progress over the last year. Last year, the car had a number of issues, and the drivers, especially Lewis Hamilton were struggling a lot.
This year, however, they seem to be making some right choices to develop the car. They are now consistently fighting for podiums. This is a huge progress when compared to where they were last year. Knowing that they will not be able to challenge Max Verstappen or Red Bull for the Championships, Mercedes has decided to switch their focus on the 2024 car. With them already working on the 2024 car, they could catch up to Red Bull next season.
“It’s trying to win more World Championship” 🏆
Lewis Hamilton says the ‘unfinished business’ is getting Mercedes back to the top 🔝 pic.twitter.com/hPDgJ6PFeV
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) August 31, 2023
Lewis Hamilton recently signed a contract extension with the team which will last until the end of the 2025 season. He says he has some unfinished business with the team and the sport. We can be sure that this unfinished business is to win his 8th Championship. An 8th Championship for Lewis Hamilton would break the record set by Michael Schumacher in the 2004 season.
Mercedes have also made some changes in the technical department which should help them with their performance. If everything goes as planned, we could see another Championship battle similar to the one we saw in 2021.
Will Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton be able to challenge Red Bull for the Championship anytime soon? Post your answers in the comment section below.
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