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Red Bull staff adviser Helmut Marko hit again at Lewis Hamilton‘s criticism of Alex Albon and defended Red Bull’s driver line-up as a “good pairing” after the London-born Thai driver’s sixth-placed end in Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix. Albon, in his first full season as Max Verstappen’s team-mate, has struggled to match the Dutchman’s tempo and has remained round four-tenths of a second per lap behind him – a niche that Sunday’s race winner Hamilton believes has undermined Verstappen and Red Bull’s problem for the titles.
Marko, who’s head of the Red Bull driver programme that has equipped a stream of racers to each Alpha Tauri, previously Toro Rosso, and the senior staff, defended Albon within the aftermath of Verstappen ending third behind each Mercedes’ automobiles to say his sixth consecutive podium end.
“I don’t understand the criticism of Albon,” stated Marko. “Other team-mates also had a lot of trouble with Max… I don’t see it that Max is pushing him to the limit, but that he is pushing himself. I think we have a good pairing there.”
Albon was separated from Verstappen by each Renaults on Sunday whereas Hamilton was adopted dwelling by team-mate Valtteri Bottas in Mercedes’ 50th one-two end since 2010 within the trendy turbo hybrid period.
Asked in regards to the efficiency of Red Bull’s problem to the ‘black arrows’ defence of their championship crowns, Hamilton had prompt that Verstappen lacked a team-mate who might match his tempo and outcomes.
The championship chief, whose win on Sunday took him 47 factors away from second-placed Verstappen within the drivers’ title race, didn’t point out Albon by title as he made a common strategic level.
“People downplay it, but Red Bull have got a very, very strong car,” he stated.
“Unfortunately, both drivers aren’t there like me and Valtteri are there… That makes it harder for them.
“I skilled it a few years in the past with McLaren and I used to be the driving force that was at all times on the entrance and did not have a team-mate backing up.
“So, you equally don’t get the constructors’ points and then can’t play with strategy on the cars they are racing against…. So he’s kind of there on his own.”
‘Great on Sundays’
Albon, who has completed within the prime 4 solely as soon as this yr, acquired stable assist from Red Bull staff chief Christian Horner who additionally heaped reward on the person he changed halfway by means of final season, Pierre Gasly.
The Frenchman was chosen as ‘driver of the day’ on Sunday after ending eighth for Alpha Tauri.
“They have a good car this year, which may be easier to manage than ours, but Alex is great on Sundays,” stated Horner.
“He had another good race, he is always strong on the attack, so we are moving in the right direction.”
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher added, when talking on Sky Germany, that his Thai background was an element.
“We can’t forget about the ownership structure at Red Bull, where it is very welcome that a Thai driver is there,” he stated.
Marko additionally revealed that Red Bull will introduce a brand new entrance wing at subsequent weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.
Hamilton, whose win moved him inside two victories of Michael Schumacher’s all-time report of 91 as he seeks this yr to equal the German’s haul of seven championships, has welcomed a more in-depth struggle.
But, like Mercedes staff chief Toto Wolff and plenty of paddock observers, he has not welcomed ‘synthetic’ manipulation of the rules to scale back his velocity.
Instead, he prompt tyres have been a difficulty to handle.
Promoted
“At the end of the day it’s tyres,” he defined. “One-stopping really is boring. We’re all ‘managing’ out there and it’s not racing. We’re all backing off at the end and we have no idea what they’re going to do.
“I used to be fearful it was going to be one other Silverstone, so I backed off. Maybe it might have been nice, however I simply cannot take that danger. Of course, I wish to have extra of a struggle, however that is not on me.”
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