"We're missing a mascot, we can give him a red hat": Mercedes boss Toto Wolff extends Helmut Marko an olive branch

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff extended an olive branch to Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko amidst reports of his suspension from the Austrian team.

The energy drink brand is investigating the 82-year-old for alleged involvement in information leaks during the Red Bull team boss Christian Horner's 'inappropriate behavior' probe during pre-season.

Speaking to ORF about his situation, Marko said:

"I'll put it this way, it's difficult to judge, or let's put it this way, ultimately, I'll decide for myself what I do. The theoretical possibility always exists. I think it's such a complex issue. Again, we want peace in the team. This world championship will be difficult enough with 24 races and we have to concentrate on that," Marko said.

Speaking to Sky Germany, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff extended his support for Marko, even hinting that he could take Niki Lauda's role as a 'mascot' within the team:

“If the team loses Helmut, it would certainly be a loss for Red Bull and for the team. Helmut was - or is - our favorite enemy, but he is a real racer. We miss our mascot so that we could use Helmut. That's his age, but he doesn't have a red cap yet: we could give him one," he said.

Mercedes team principal analyzes the 'annoying' Saudi Arabian GP qualifying

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff opined that his team endured an 'annoying' qualifying session, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finishing P7 and P8 respectively.

As per F1.com, the Austrian said:

"That was a very annoying qualifying session! We’ve got a quick car, but it is on a knife’s edge. The drivers are struggling to squeeze out the lap consistently."

He added:

"George was on his way to a strong lap and could have been fighting for spots on the second row. Unfortunately he lost the rear of the car. Lewis meanwhile never had the feedback from the car that he wanted, and that meant he couldn’t go faster.

Mercedes team boss added that they would target finishing ahead of their rivals in the main race on Saturday, saying:

"I think the race pace will be very close between ourselves, the Ferraris, and the McLarens. Our target is to try to be ahead of them tomorrow, but we know overtaking isn’t easy here. "

Only time will tell whether Mercedes can turn around their deficit to the teams and potentially challenge for podium slots in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah.