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Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko thinks that despite the implications of the new technical regulations, Mercedes are still ahead of the rest of the pack.
Mercedes have dominated the sport since the introduction of the V6 Hybrid era back in 2014, and an aerodynamic overhaul is being issued this year in an attempt to make the top teams competitive with each other again.
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Despite the best efforts, Marko believes that Mercedes still remain top of the class: "The driveability of their engine and the packaging are incredible," the Red Bull official told Auto Motor und Sport.
"We are still driving conservatively," Marko admitted. "Let's see how it looks when we have full power. You can hear that Mercedes is doing the same thing."
After the first week of testing, it appears that Ferrari are the closest challengers to the Silver Arrows, however Marko said it is impossible to tell this early.
"It depends on how much fuel they are using. As late as Vettel was braking into the first corner yesterday, there can't have been much in there."
It is also believed Red Bull will add a range of aerodynamic appendages at the second and final Barcelona test, but Marko said mischievously: "Our car is beautiful. And normally beautiful cars are fast. Why should we change something?"
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
C. Sainz jr
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f1fan0101
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True, but maybe people in the paddock have more of an insight?