Marko denies trying to ’blackmail’ Todt over engines
"This is not blackmail, this is a fact"
Dr Helmut Marko has denied Jean Todt’s charge that he is trying to "blackmail" the FIA president over his demands regarding Red Bull’s engine decision for 2022.
Red Bull has threatened to quit Formula 1 if it cannot take over the departing Honda’s engine program, insisting it will require a 2022 development ’freeze’.
"I respect every opinion and every application, but I will not allow myself to be blackmailed," FIA president Todt told Auto Motor und Sport this week.
Marko, Red Bull’s top Austrian official close to owner Dietrich Mateschitz, denies the charge.
"This is not blackmail, this is a fact," Marko said of the quit threat.
"If there is no development stop, we cannot carry out the Honda project. With these complex engines, further development is not possible without a development centre like Sakura. And the costs of that are not affordable," he insisted.
Marko said Red Bull is highly reluctant to return to the days of being a mere engine customer, with Mercedes already ruling out a 2022 deal.
"We’d have to come to an agreement with Ferrari or Renault first, which sounds simple but it’s not," said the Austrian.
"You could imagine what would happen if we beat the factory team with a Ferrari engine. And there is this new confidence at Renault that they will tear everything down with their new engine and Mr Alonso in 2022," Marko added.
"The regulations require equal treatment, but there are ways of creating differences. If we don’t agree, an exit is an option for us. We only showed the reality."
On the other hand, he said handling the Honda engines in conjunction with a 2022 development freeze would not cost "exorbitantly" more than the EUR 15 million cost of being a customer.
Red Bull
Verstappen ’dangerous’ for F1, Canada GP boss warns
Wolff: All the stories about Kimi Antonelli do him no good
Ferrari to test Imola-spec upgrade before next race
Horner: No concerns about the ’strength and depth’ of Red Bull’s personnel setup
More on Red Bull
FIA
Former FIA steward slams modern Formula 1
F1 in penalty re-think after Magnussen’s horror Miami
Alonso met twice with FIA president in Miami
Alonso to confront FIA over anti-Spanish bias
F1 could expand points system to P20
More on FIA