Marko slams ‘aggressive’ Mercedes after appeal

Dr Helmut Marko has hit back at Mercedes, after the German squad this week called on the court of appeal to come down hard on Red Bull.

As Red Bull appealed Daniel Ricciardo’s Melbourne disqualification in Paris on Monday, a lawyer for rival Mercedes argued at length that the FIA should in fact impose “a further sanction”, due to the “flagrant and deliberate” rules breach.

Ultimately, the five judges upheld Ricciardo’s disqualification, but did not add to Red Bull’s penalty.

“We are obviously bitterly disappointed,” the always-blunt Red Bull director Marko said after digesting the court’s decision.

“We cannot say any more until we get the detailed reasons for the judgement, but what amazed us even more was the language and aggressiveness that our competitor Mercedes used to argue against us,” he is quoted by Austria’s Kleine Zeitung newspaper.

Less publicly angry is the affable Australian Ricciardo himself, who although having sprayed the champagne on his home-race podium, is in fact yet to officially bank a F1 trophy.

“It’s disappointing not to get the 18 points from Australia,” he said on Wednesday, “but if anything it gives me more motivation to get back on the podium as soon as possible.

“As I said that week, I’d rather have a great race, finish on the podium and then be excluded than to have had a rubbish race and then retire with a car problem half way through,” Ricciardo added.

© RIF | GMM