Helmut Marko admitted Red Bull are more concerned about Mercedes than Ferrari in 2023, despite the Silver Arrows enduring a poor season this year.
Red Bull strolled to both Formula 1 titles this season as a result of the ineffective challenges of their main rivals. Mercedes did not have a car quick enough for a title charge, while Ferrari collapsed in a storm of reliability woes and strategy blunders despite their strong start.
Looking ahead to next year, Marko was clear when choosing the team most likely to challenge Red Bull for silverware. "Definitely Mercedes," the Austrian told Auto Motor und Sport. "They are the more stable team. And they have [Lewis] Hamilton.
"Even if they may have gone downhill this year, they are still a very special team. In the meantime, [Hamilton's] lap times have repeatedly shown that he is a top driver. [Mercedes] is just the much stronger package than Ferrari."
In the same interview, Marko gave an indication as to why he doesn't fancy Ferrari to mount a title challenge as strong as Mercedes. He pointed to the Italians' change of team principal – Frederic Vasseur will come in to replace the outgoing Mattia Binotto – as a reason why he thinks they will struggle.
"In the case of Ferrari, I don't quite understand the change," explained Marko. "I rate Binotto as an excellent technician and politician. He was simply overwhelmed by the task. But it would have been enough to provide him with a sports director who would support him on the track and with strategy.
"With the new man, who has many other jobs, I see a weakening for Ferrari." He went on to clarify that he "definitely" expects Red Bull and Mercedes to benefit from the situation, as they have the advantage of "stability and continuity".
Marko also stuck the boot into Ferrari when recapping what was a dominant and record-breaking season for Red Bull. While the two teams were fairly evenly-matched in terms of car performance, the failures of the Italian team helped his employers to romp to both titles.
"We certainly benefited from Ferrari's strategic mistakes, from bad luck on their side, from the engine damage," the Austrian asserted. "Over the course of the season they developed the car in such a way that it took more and more of the tyres. That's what made us so confident in the race. I think that being 46 points down after the third race gave us a 'now more than ever' feeling."
