Bahrain would have been a bland race without safety car - Marko

  • Published on 09 Apr 2014 12:12
  • comments 0
  • By: Rob Veenstra
Helmut Marko is not convinced Sunday's Bahrain grand prix was a F1 thriller. After all the carping about the radical 2014 rules having turned F1 into 'formula yawn', Bahrain was hailed as a timely and highly-entertaining spectacle. "There was a lot of criticism beforehand," Mercedes' Nico Rosberg told German television ARD as Tuesday as he began post-race testing in Bahrain. "But people who watched the race tell me it was one of the best ever."

But Marko, whose employer Red Bull is one of the teams most vocally unhappy with the new regulations, is not so sure. "Only after the safety car was it a really great race," the outspoken Austrian told Red Bull-owned Servus TV.

There were only ten laps of the 57-lap Bahrain race left when the safety car for Esteban Gutierrez's roll-over shunt finally pulled into the pits. It was then that Lewis Hamilton's epic duel with his Mercedes teammate Rosberg really began. "If the safety car had not come out, it would have been a relatively bland race," Marko claims.

Rosberg said it is "logical" that Mercedes' rivals are not happy with the current situation. "We made the best of the new rules and are absolutely dominant at the moment," he admitted. "That the other teams don't like it is logical. Last year, it was Red Bull doing the best job, now it's us. So it's not nice that now the others are crying all of a sudden about rule changes," Rosberg added. (GMM)

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Formula 1 Calendar - 2024

Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Bahrain
29 - Mar 2
Bahrain
7 - Mar 9
Saudi Arabia
22 - Mar 24
Australia
5 - Apr 7
Japan
19 - Apr 21
China
3 - May 5
United States of America
17 - May 19
Italy
24 - May 26
Monaco
7 - Jun 9
Canada
21 - Jun 23
Spain
28 - Jun 30
Austria
5 - Jul 7
United Kingdom
19 - Jul 21
Hungary
26 - Jul 28
Belgium
23 - Aug 25
Netherlands
30 - Sep 1
Italy
13 - Sep 15
Azerbaijan
20 - Sep 22
Singapore
18 - Oct 20
United States of America
25 - Oct 27
Mexico
1 - Nov 3
Brazil
22 - Nov 24
United States of America
29 - Dec 1
Qatar
6 - Dec 8
United Arab Emirates
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Formula 1 Calendar - 2024

Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
29 - Mar 2
7 - Mar 9
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
22 - Mar 24
Australia Albert Park
5 - Apr 7
19 - Apr 21
3 - May 5
United States of America Miami International Autodrome
17 - May 19
24 - May 26
Monaco Monte Carlo
7 - Jun 9
21 - Jun 23
28 - Jun 30
Austria Red Bull Ring
5 - Jul 7
United Kingdom Silverstone
19 - Jul 21
Hungary Hungaroring
26 - Jul 28
23 - Aug 25
Netherlands Circuit Zandvoort
30 - Sep 1
Italy Monza
13 - Sep 15
Azerbaijan Baku City Circuit
20 - Sep 22
18 - Oct 20
United States of America Circuit of the Americas
25 - Oct 27
1 - Nov 3
Brazil Interlagos
22 - Nov 24
United States of America Las Vegas Street Circuit
29 - Dec 1
6 - Dec 8
United Arab Emirates Yas Marina Circuit
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