F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Marko: Albon made to 'look stupid' by race engineer's blunder

Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko laid the blame for Alex Albon's disappointing performance in Barcelona last week on his new race engineer, Simon Rennie.

Rennie was added to Albon's crew ahead of the British Grand Prix precisely to help the British-Thai racer in his struggles to extract more speed from his RB16.

Albon has consistently been outpaced this season by Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen. And although both drivers have complained of the temperamental behaviour of this year's RB16, Albon has not been able to make the most of the car, contrary to the Dutchman.

Red Bull subsequently decided to replace Albon's regular race engineer Mike Lugg with the experienced Rennie.

But in Spain, the latter's strategy call was lambasted by Marko after the Red Bull driver, who had qualified sixth, crossed the checkered flag a distant eighth, 55 seconds adrift from Verstappen, his efforts impacted by a first pit stop that saw Albon released in heavy midfield traffic.

"The performance in Barcelona including the strategy is on the head of his race engineer," Marko told SpeedWeek. "Alex looked stupid, but it was not because of his fault."

Despite the underperformance, Marko denied Albon's seat at Red Bull was under threat.

"It was his worst race, but as long as he keeps progressing, he is out of that discussion."

However, the same may not be said of AlphaTauri's Daniil Kvyat whose performances year to date have not impressed Marko.

"Yes, Daniil isn't performing as we expected," Marko told Austrian newspaper Salzburger Nachrichten. "But we are still just before the halfway point of the season."

Still, that's a clear yellow car for the Russian charger.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

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