For their new engine project, Red Bull has hired numerous staff members from Mercedes High-Performance Powertrains. This would never have happened under Niki Lauda’s watch, according to Helmut Marko.
Niki Lauda, according to Helmut Marko, would have stopped the current flurry of Red Bull staff going to Mercedes.
As they prepare to take over the administration of Honda’s power units from 2022 and eventually manufacture their own, Red Bull has signed many Mercedes engineers for their burgeoning division – Red Bull Powertrains – so far this year.
Last month, RacingNews365 revealed that Red Bull had hired engineering chief Owen Jones from Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains.
Marko’s opinion
Jones worked alongside Andy Cowell at Mercedes HPP, who was in charge of the extremely successful Mercedes V6 turbo-hybrid engines until retiring from Formula One in 2020.
Red Bull also engaged Ben Hodgkinson, the Head of Mechanical Engineering at Mercedes HPP, to become Technical Director at Red Bull’s similar department.
Three-time Formula One World Champion Lauda, who had a similar post at Mercedes until his death in 2019, would not have allowed the situation to develop as it has, according to Red Bull advisor Marko.
“We’re a cool team where passion comes first,” Marko told Austrian outlet OE24. “It wouldn’t have happened to Mercedes under Niki Lauda; he was closer to his engine people.”
Marko and Honda’s Masashi Yamamoto recently described how Red Bull’s engine program will work in 2022 and beyond.
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