Former Pink Bull motorsport adviser Dr Helmut Marko has branded the 2021 Method 1 season because the “hardest yr” throughout his time within the championship.
The 82-year-old left his function on the Milton Keynes outfit on the finish of 2025 after a 20-year stint. Having raced within the championship from 1971 to 1972 and founding RSM Marko in 1984, which later grew to become the Pink Bull Junior Workforce, the Austrian has been concerned within the sequence for over 5 many years.
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Reflecting on his profession throughout an interview with , Marko expanded on why he thought the 2021 season was his most difficult. That season ended with claiming his first of 4 championship titles after an intense battle with seven-time champion .
Though the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has gone down within the historical past books as one of the crucial controversial moments within the championship, Marko additionally pointed to different “poisonous” moments of the season.
“2021 was, when it comes to feelings, politics – when it comes to all the things, the hardest yr I’ve ever skilled in Method 1,” he stated. ” dominated.
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“All of the sudden, Pink Bull got here together with a comparatively younger driver and challenged all the things. There have been collisions on the monitor – the primary at Silverstone, the place Hamilton’s entrance wheel hit Max’s rear wheel, he flew off at over 300 km/h.
“However there was additionally a generally poisonous ambiance off the monitor. Political intrigue in every single place. Actually, actually robust. Then the finale in Abu Dhabi, which went in our favour – partly as a result of we modified the tyres on the proper second. At Mercedes, the truth that they misplaced that World Championship continues to be deeply ingrained.”
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12, Max Verstappen, Pink Bull Racing RB16B
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12, Max Verstappen, Pink Bull Racing RB16B
Mercedes received the constructors’ title, however Hamilton missed out on his eighth drivers’ championship title. The British driver was main the race with Verstappen following in second earlier than a crash by introduced out the protection automobile.
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With the chequered flag closing in, Hamilton appeared set to say the championship. However race director on the time, Michael Masi, ordered solely the lapped automobiles between Hamilton and Verstappen to unlap themselves so as to have sufficient time to go racing once more; permitting all lapped automobiles on the grid to take action would have resulted within the race ending beneath security automobile circumstances.
After the protection automobile returned to the storage, Verstappen, who was on brisker tyres, was capable of overtake Hamilton to take the title.
The choice from Masi was, and continues to be, some extent of debate amongst followers and the paddock.
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