Red Bull team advisor Helmut Marko claimed that despite the occasional reliability issues that often cost its drivers significant championship points, Red Bull is "dominating" the 2022 F1 season.
While Max Verstappen extended his championship lead by securing his sixth race win of the season at the Canadian Grand Prix last weekend, Sergio Perez suffered his second DNF of the season as a result of gearbox issues.
As reported by Motorsport.com, Marko admitted that reliability is still a concern, despite Red Bull's "unbelievable form" since the Baharin Grand Prix. He said:
“The main thing is you have to finish and avoid those reliability things. We also had a sprint race, which helped us a lot to get more points. We have an unbelievable run now, normally in the first half of the season we were always catching up and now are dominating. You have to say that if you win seven races out of the first nine, that is domination.”
He added:
“Reliability is always a concern if you have a car that is so much on the limit. You see that at Ferrari.”
The Austrian team now leads the Constructor Standings with a 76-point lead over Ferrari.
Red Bull disagree with FIA's decision to intervene regarding porpoising issues
The FIA announced a new technical directive, stating that the governing body will be intervening to tackle the porposing issues faced by the 2022 F1 cars. However, Helmut Marko was not thrilled about it.
As reported by Sky Sports F1, implying that Mercedes essentially coerced the FIA to take such drastic steps, the Austrian said:
“I don’t think the FIA’s decisions are right. One team, Mercedes, has the biggest problems and then they react in the middle of the season. There is a simple solution: you just have to raise the car. Then you don’t have this bouncing anymore, but you lose speed.”
He continued:
“The fact that they are now reacting in this way and trying to impose such powers on the FIA, which practically determine the set-up of the cars, is a quick fix that has certainly not been thought through.”
Mercedes' troubles with porpoising got to a point where it seemed to be affecting its drivers' physical health. Several other teams are in favor of the decision as well, since numerous drivers have come out and expressed their concerns about the long-term effects porpoising may have on their health.