F1 News: War Between Schumacher And Red Bull Advisor Wages As Accusations Fly
Red Bull's F1 senior advisor, Helmut Marko, has responded to Ralf Schumacher's accusations of bias against the Schumacher name. Schumacher claimed that Marko's personal reasons led him to choose Nyck de Vries over Mick Schumacher.
"It seems that Helmut Marko has a problem with the Schumacher name," Schumacher told the press weeks ago. Marko, however, refutes these allegations, emphasising that Red Bull's decisions are based on performance rather than marketing.
“Even though I have a good exchange with him personally, it seems he has some problem with Mick because otherwise, it’s not understandable to me why it didn’t work out from the beginning," he continued. “To be honest, I don’t see anyone else in the squad who would fit in there at the moment.
“That’s why I’m surprised by what Dr. Helmut Marko is doing.”
While Schumacher acknowledges a good personal relationship with Marko, he finds it difficult to comprehend why Mick was not chosen from the beginning, believing him to be the best fit for the team.
“I have no problem with the name Schumacher,” Marko fought back via oe24. “For me, Michael Schumacher is the greatest.
“I talk to Ralf regularly. But he is confusing one thing: our F1 programme is based on performance, not on marketing.”
While currently safe in the Mercedes camp, similarly to Daniel Ricciardo, the uncertainty surrounding Mick Schumacher's future as a Formula 1 driver continues. It looks as though his only option going forward is Williams, with current American driver Logan Sargeant underperforming compared to his experienced and talented teammate Alex Albon.
But with a focus turning to the United States, will Williams want to lose the connection to the country and its potential sponsors and support?