Dr Helmut Marko left Sepang 400 euros richer -- by betting on a Ferrari. Germany's Sport Bild reports that, in an internal paddock bet, the Red Bull official put his money on his former protege Sebastian Vettel. "I knew that Sebastian could do it," he said. "You could see it as early as Friday practice."
Although Vettel left Red Bull after a fallow season last year, Marko says it was obvious the 27-year-old had not lost his quadruple title-winning talent. "He did not forget how to drive in one year," Marko insisted. "He just could not drive our car as he needed to. Maybe people will realise at last that it was not our car alone that gave him those four titles," the Austrian added.
Marko also hinted that Red Bull might be missing Vettel's technical input already. "Today we had extreme problems with the brakes," he said. "After Sebastian left we changed to a manufacturer that he never liked, but we will change back now."
It was a rare magnanimous show of form by Marko, who after Melbourne had threatened Red Bull's withdrawal from F1 if the regulations are not urgently changed. After his silver cars lost to a red Ferrari driven by Vettel on Sunday, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff said he hopes it stops all the "nonsense" talk about equalisation.
Team chairman Niki Lauda agreed: "I think this result is very good for the image of formula one, which we're always complaining about -- not me, but other people." The great Austrian was quoted by Spain's AS: "Even Bernie Ecclestone cannot complain now."
So after the politics dominated in Melbourne, the sport is suddenly celebrating a thrilling race, a different winner, a resurgent Ferrari and the prospect of more to come. "Maybe next year when McLaren has resolved its problem with Honda, we will have a very good championship with Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull," said former driver Patrick Tambay. "I was a little worried about formula one, but not anymore!" he told RMC Sport. (GMM)
Marko won bet by gambling on victory for Vettel
- Published on 30 Mar 2015 13:43
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- By: Rob Veenstra
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Driver profile
- Team Aston Martin
- Points 1,480
- Podiums 56
- Grand Prix 161
- Country DE
- Date of b. Jul 3 1987 (38)
- Place of b. Heppenheim, DE
- Weight 62 kg
- Length 1.75 m
- 281,400 comments on Aston Martin
57 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Sebastian Vettel
Team profile
- Team name McLaren
- Base Woking, United Kingdom
- Jenson Button 1
- Lewis Hamilton 1
- Fernando Alonso 1
- Niki Lauda 1
- Stoffel Vandoorne 2
- Lewis Hamilton 2
- Lewis Hamilton 2
- Gerhard Berger 2
- Daniel Ricciardo 3
- Jenson Button 3
- Lewis Hamilton 3
- Kimi Räikkönen 3
- Mika Häkkinen 3
- Lando Norris 4
- Lewis Hamilton 4
- Jenson Button 4
- Kimi Räikkönen 4
- Jenson Button 5
- Sergio Perez 6
- Kimi Räikkönen 6
- Kimi Räikkönen 6
- Niki Lauda 8
- Alain Prost 8
- Kimi Räikkönen 9
- Fernando Alonso 14
- Kevin Magnussen 20
- Jenson Button 22
- Lewis Hamilton 22
- Gerhard Berger 28
- Stoffel Vandoorne 47
- Carlos Sainz jr 55
- Oscar Piastri 81
- 305,225 comments on McLaren
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- Tweets about McLaren
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