Illegal Red Bull wings were a “silly mistake” says Marko

Helmut Marko

Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko insists that the illegal front wing flaps on the RB10s in Abu Dhabi were the result of a "naïve" interpretation of the rules.

Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel qualified fifth and sixth but ultimately started from the pitlane after the FIA discovered a spring arrangement that allowed the flaps to flex.

"It was a silly mistake from our side," Marko told this writer. "I would say it was a naïve interpretation of the regulations. We thought it was within the regulations."

Meanwhile Marko said he was happy with the progress the team made in 2014 after its disastrous start in testing.

"We did much better than we expected – we won three races, second in the constructors' championship, in the drivers' third and fifth. So the recovery was good. Strategically, everything was done right. We achieved the maximum, we learned a lot, and we had to fight and keep motivation up. But it paid off.

"We had such a difference in horsepower, we couldn't use the potential of our chassis, because if we put the wing up we lost so much on the straights. So we always had to go for a compromise. I think we did pretty well. Whenever there was a chance, bang, we were there." Adam Cooper