Marko confirms suspicion around legality of Mercedes' front wing

Red Bull Motorsport advisor Dr. Helmut Marko revealed that Mercedes' front wing was flexing strikingly in Montreal, but he stressed that the technical inspections confirmed that it met the requirements.

Following the Canadian Grand Prix, it emerged that Red Bull asked the sport's governing body, the FIA to take a closer look at Mercedes' new front wing.

The Brackley-based outfit introduced a new front wing in Monaco, but the team had time to produce only one piece for the Principality. After Lewis Hamilton tried it out in the simulator, the team elected to equip George Russell's W15 with the heavily-modified front wing.

For the following race in Montreal, Mercedes was able to produce three new front wings which meant that the seven-time world champion also received the upgraded part.

Speaking to Austrian publication oe24, Marko said: "You can't say that. They (Mercedes, ed.) have a new front wing, and on the TV pictures from Montreal you can clearly see that Russell and Hamilton's wings are bending noticeably.

"However, the wings had the necessary strength when they were approved. That doesn't surprise me. I don't know how often we had to check our wings."

Speaking of the checks that aerodynamic parts need to go through, Marko noted: "There is a precisely defined procedure with weights under which a wing must not bend. It is a popular game of pushing everything to the limit so that it passes the technical inspection.

"During the race, the wing then lowers, which ensures better aerodynamics. It has come up again and again when the deformation was clearly visible in the television images."

Marko confirmed that Red Bull had taken a look at the flexibility of the W15's front wing. Although the first inspection did not reveal any issues, the Austrian said that the inspection will be carried out in the coming rounds again.

"Everything was OK in Montreal. There is a new inspection for Barcelona and Spielberg etc., and it has to be OK again. Of course, the competition is looking at that critically, not just us.

The F1 field now heads to Spain for Round 10 of the season. Barcelona is considered as a probing test, met with trepidation by all the teams because – and in this case the cliché is true – if a car is competitive here, it should be quick at all types of track.

Marko hopes that Red Bull's RB20 will deliver a strong performance this weekend which would suggest that the Milton Keynes-based outfit can excel in the action-packed triple header of Barcelona, Spielberg and Silverstone.

"This rule of thumb should apply to us too. If we are strong in Barcelona, ​​then hopefully we will be strong next week in Austria and a week later in Silverstone.

"These three races will say a lot about the true pecking order. That is why our people are working to the limit these days. In addition, Sergio Perez badly damaged his car in Monaco and Montreal.

The Anglo-Austrian squad has recently extended Sergio Perez's existing contract by two years. The Mexican has endured a very difficult period recently, having failed to make the cut into Q3 in the three consecutive races in Imola, Monaco and Montreal.

"He really didn't have to stick to it. We extended his contract because we wanted to bring calmness to our team, which unfortunately didn't quite work out. But now Checo has three races ahead of him on three real race tracks, so he can prove himself.

Asked which driver pair is the current best one, Marko said that McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris form the strongest driver line-up in the field.

"But that's the way it is. They are young and are always very close together, especially in qualifying. And both will improve, especially Piastri," noted the Austrian.