Formula 1 is a great motorsport, but sometimes what happens off track is more intriguing than what happens on it. An example of that is a story emerging today in which Red Bull consultant Dr. Helmut Marko accusses Mercedes of helping Ferrari to catch up. Quite a far fetched thing to say, right? The Doctor is quoted saying: "It is difficult to prove, but I am sure that Mercedes helped Ferrari," to the German magazine Sport Bild. "And we all know why."
The last quote could imply Mercedes only helped Ferrari so that they would not run away with the championship and convince the FIA to stick with the current power units. Major changes are already planned for 2017 but whether the Hybrid V6 power units stay remains in limbo. Obviously, Mercedes are in favour of keeping things as they are but their domination is prompting other parties that changes need to be made for long-term survival. This is where Helmut's theory comes in - with Mercedes helping Ferrari to enhance their performance, racing becomes more competitive, more interesting and fewer changes are needed to improve the spectacle.
In the 2014 season, Ferrari was way off the radar; they only managed fourth in the constructor's title, even with world champions Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen behind the wheel. Fast forward to the current season and Ferrari look like the only team able to challenge Mercedes thus far with Sebastian Vettel clinching a win at the Malaysian GP. While this does raise questions over how the Prancing Horse managed to catch up so quickly to the superior Silver Arrows, such a claim is difficult to prove. Let's not forget Scuderia Ferrari is a big name in motorsport and they have the funds and resources to make that giant leap, even if it is over just a few months. Until this alleged partnership between the front runners is proven, this appears to be another case of sour grapes from the energy drinks company.
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