08/01/2013
NEWS STORY
Red Bull's controversial Motorsport Director, Helmut Marko, in reality an advisor to Dietrich Mateschitz, has spoken out on a number of issues including Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel and himself.
In an interview with the Red Bulletin, Marko, a former F1 and Sportscar driver, is first asked about claims that he is cool and aloof. "You'll never make it in Formula One if you are only addicted to beauty," he replies, setting the tone.
Asked about his relationship with Vettel, with whom he has worked for more than ten years, he says: "First and foremost, we have a business partnership at a very clear, open and honest level. If he has problems, he comes directly to me - and vice versa if I have concerns. This works in a very professional manner. And, of course, you get a lot closer personally, no question.
"It is characteristically Sebastian to hold 'Vettel the race driver' up to the public," he continues, "and he wants to keep his personal life private. Quite rightly so, too. But it also has to do with the fact that he is so incredibly focused on his job, so he needs the rest and the time off. He has to withdraw into himself so that he can then call upon the thing that no other driver has, in qualifying or during a race. I'm very well aware of the way Sebastian prepares, so that gives him a great deal of personal freedom to do what it takes to achieve the best performance.
"He was certainly well looked after by his parents," he reveals. "Young people with a penchant for love and security stay as long as they can in what you would hope is their protected zone. Others are inclined to strike out early and make their own way. But you don't need all that much TLC. It is enough to recognise their strengths. Creating an artificial atmosphere of softness and cosiness just doesn't fit in the world of Formula One."
Asked about 2012, a season in which Red Bull appeared to go out of its way to make things difficult for itself, he says: "The year was characterised by the fact that we couldn't always make full use of the speed we had available. The beginning was rough, then came the high of Bahrain, and just when we thought, 'We're back', came Valencia, with that stupid alternator damage when we were clearly leading. Then Vettel's next alternator problem, in Monza. We were about 40 points adrift then, but there was no finger pointing; in fact it pulled the whole team closer together, and everyone said, "We can do it!" No one more than Vettel: "We can do it!"
The Austrian is under no illusion as to when things turned around. "In Singapore, no question. Adrian Newey and his team found the all-encompassing solution in the harmony between the tyres, the front wing, the exhaust. This lent the drivers confidence, and was most noticeable in qualifying.
Vettel was already ahead by 13 points when the Abu Dhabi nerve-killer came: too little fuel in his tank after the qualifying, shoved to the back, hammer through, mistake under safety car, change wing, thundered back from last place again. Under these circumstances, third place was, of course, fantastic, but it wasn't enough to give us any relief. So everything ratcheted up for the last race in Brazil."
In the eyes of many, Interlagos was the most thrilling race of the season, but Marko didn't see it that way. "Not for me. Vettel is sent into a spin by Senna in the first lap, which may have given the fans the ultimate thrill, but I became very quiet. I see that the engine is running, the damage is quickly assessed, then I see he's in 19th place, with most of the race to go, he's two seconds faster than the guy in eighth, which is where he has to be - and that's what preoccupies me. Thanks to a great team effort, we also managed the additional pitstop and so on."
Reflecting on the season as a while, he says: "Sebastian's driving was virtually flawless. But he is a phenomenon: it is always like that. After the summer break, his performance curve shoots up. That's what happened in previous years, too. I don't know how he does it, but to keep doing it cannot be a coincidence.
"That brings us back to his method of preparation, the way he shuts himself off from the rest of the world, so that he can still call on reserves that other drivers might not have: Fernando Alonso, for example, who is busy with politics and funny comments. Vettel ignores it all, he doesn't read the newspapers, or the internet. And that's the point, you see, we concentrate on our job: to make the fastest car and the best team possible."
And Webber? "It seems to me that Webber has on average two races per year where he is unbeatable," says Marko, "but he can't maintain this form throughout the year. And as soon as his prospects start to look good in the world championship, he has a little trouble with the pressure that this creates. In comparison with Seb's rising form, it seems to me that Mark's form somehow flattens out. Then, if some technical mishap occurs, like with the alternator for example, he falls relatively easily into a downward spiral.
"No driver remains unaffected by this, because the tension is palpable," he admits. "In 2010, it was particularly extreme. Webber headed into the final race with better chances than Vettel, and he probably carried the disappointment of his defeat into the 2011 season, which is so easy to understand.
"Something that I think is also very important is that for much of his career, Mark was never in a top team, but he was always regarded as a high flyer if he only could get into the right team. Then Red Bull puts him in a car - a possible winner - and suddenly along comes this young kid and he snatches the booty from under Mark's nose. Psychologically it's not easy, of course; this would gnaw away at anyone's confidence. It's more than understandable."
Asked if it is better to have arch rivals or good buddies on the same team, Marko replies: "The important thing is that both are somewhere close in speed so that they push each other, and that the technical crews understand each car's limits. Almost all drivers have track preferences: better on one, less so on another. The better the driver, the smaller the variation. If you have two equally strong drivers, then you know where you stand with the car. For harmony within the team it is of course easier if the two get along. So in the meantime, we have found a modus vivendi.
"Sebastian and Mark work constructively together in tuning the cars: all information is freely available. They are not likely to go to dinner together, but that is how it is in most teams, and it's totally OK. Two alpha males can never really understand each other."
Of claims that Vettel is not the best driver out there, Marko is adamant: "There is a lot of nonsense being said. "Vettel can't overtake." Ridiculous; just look at Abu Dhabi and Brazil. "He is only able to win because he's sitting in a Newey car." We have two Newey cars, so why aren't we clinching one-two at every race?
"Then the comment of the great Jackie Stewart that Vettel must go to another team to prove himself. This is said by someone who scored all his greatest successes in just one team, Tyrrell. I can't take it seriously. We at Red Bull Racing are not just a bunch of civil servants. As long as we provide Sebastian with a car and an environment in which he can become world champion, he will probably stay with us. If both do not fit, then we have to come up with something fresh. But we have a very good junior programme, and maybe some day someone else will become champion in our car."
Enzo Ferrari, famously described the British 'Garagistes' as virtually worthless Formula One opponents. How does Marko feel the Italian would have taken to a drink manufacturer becoming the superior force? "I believe that there is no way old Enzo would have liked such defeat, but he would acknowledge the performance of the opposition - and then would whip his boys accordingly so they'd do everything to beat us. But not with such actions as we have recently experienced.
"Alonso is constantly involved in politics," he continues. "I believe we saw the stress he was under towards the end of the season. Saying things like, "I'm competing against Hamilton, not Vettel," and "I'm up against Newey," these psychological skirmishes. We said, "Just ignore him."
Asked about the current state of F1. Marko, who contested 10 Grands Prix in the early 70s with BRM before being blinded in his left eye when a stone pierced his visor during the French Grand Prix, replies: "Eighty-five per cent of the races run really well. A prime example was in Austin, Texas, where an entire city and an entire state were whipped into an excited frenzy about the race. The race was the event, there was this excitement about the future.
"Generally, the state of Formula One is OK, there are exciting races. The drag reduction system (DRS) has certainly helped. KERS [recovering kinetic energy through braking] is a very complex thing, but of course it also contributes to the show. As for cost reduction, we are happy to have it, but it should not amount to the unilateral pruning of the aerodynamics, which is clearly our strength. Chassis and engine: they have to be as one, in a package. Basically, 2013 will remain stable technically. It is important to have a car that is fast on all circuits and, above all, reliable. Reliability plays an increasingly important role.
"One cannot afford any DNFs. That's Alonso's secret - he experienced not one technical defect in 2012. The big change comes in 2014, with the small, six-cylinder engines. The prognoses are that similar power outputs to today will be reached, with a higher contribution of KERS, and less fuel consumption. This will result in a ripple effect to the outside world, something that commercial car companies also need to integrate into their strategies. KERS brings at least a doubling of available auxiliary power - through logistical and technical progress. The batteries will become lighter, they can store more capacity, and yet are smaller."
Asked about Mateschitz' role, Marko, who reports directly to the Red Bull boss, reveals: "If I tell him that it would be helpful if he showed up occasionally, then he does. A visit to the factory, or a racetrack, can work wonders for motivation. He is the greatest when it comes to motivation, he's knows exactly what to do.
"He came to two races in 2012: Barcelona and Monza. Afterwards, he thought it would be better if he didn't come any more, because those were precisely the two races that yielded the worst results. I wouldn't go so far as to say he is superstitious; let's just say he is more of a spiritual man. I know that Didi gets very excited and jittery when he watches a race on television, and he also knows very well the difference between bad luck and an error - how a performance looks over three races, and suchlike. If things are not going so well for us, he inspires us. Instead of venting, he says, "Don't worry!" not, "You must…" He'd rather say something uplifting and encouraging."
Finally, Marko is asked if he ever looks back at his own career, particularly the incident at Clermont-Ferrand in 1972, and wonders 'what if'.
"I never play the 'what if' game because of my lost eye," he replies. "There is simply no point in thinking about it: it just happened. One has enough examples of highly successful racing drivers who fail in their lives after they retire because they don't know how it will go on. For me there's a clear choice: to do something completely different. It goes on, everything goes on. That, incidentally, is a very good motto for our team."