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Mark Preston Interview
Speaking exclusively to OLBG, Mark Preston, former Technical Director of Super Aguri F1 and Principal Designer at McLaren F1, discussed all things motorsport.
Preston said that at Ferrari, Max Verstappen could quit F1 to pursue other avenues and that Daniel Ricciardo could return to the Red Bull main team.
The motorsport veteran has also said that Ferrari has all the pieces of the puzzle for attracting his former colleague Adrian Newey following his Red Bull departure.
Preston has also noted Michael Schumacher’s humility during his time in F1 but admitted that Mick Schumacher may have missed his chance to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Q: Do you think Max Verstappen is unhappy at Red Bull?
MP: “In terms of Max Verstappen’s future, he does seem to enjoy other forms of racing.
“Look at him being in a 24 hour sim race at the same time as he was preparing to race in Monaco, that's dedication to the art.
“He's hungry to try different things and different types of racing, so it's probably an era when a driver like Max sees all these other possibilities that perhaps weren't as strong in previous eras.
“Therefore he sees lots of opportunities to go and try things so I wouldn't be surprised if he finds a way of trying something else in upcoming years.
“I don't know whether that means he gives up F1, but I can imagine him wanting to go and try some of these other series.
“He might even end up trying NASCAR or Indy 500.”
Max Verstappen Image: shutterstock
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Q: Will Adrian Newey end up at Ferrari?
MP: “Adrian Newey has been linked to Ferrari, but where he ends up will be all about the package that they have to offer, the main five areas being the engine, tyres, drivers, resources and the people.
“You've got to have all of those pieces of the puzzle and it will be up to him to figure out all those things, which we can’t always see from the outside.
“More than one of the top teams have a lot of the pieces of the puzzle which is going to make his next move a very hard decision, there's probably something else in the background that'll meet some of the incentives that he's looking for.”
Q: Were you surprised to see Adrian Newey leave Red Bull?
MP: “It’s not a surprise that Adrian Newey wants to try new pastures after leaving Red Bull. He thrives in the unknown, in rule changes.
“Myself being an engineer, I can see his interest in the small details and that will probably mean that he doesn’t want to stay away from the sport for too long.”
🚗✨ Will Adrian Newey Steer Towards Ferrari? ✨🏎️
Q: Will Adrian Newey make his next move depending on the drivers?
MP: “Adrian Newey will decide on his future when it comes to having all the pieces of the puzzle, including drivers. If you get the best drivers it's more motivation and incentive for the best engineers to come and join.
“That attracts the best people, best race engineers, best sponsors, everything. It's a it's a snowball effect and drivers are one of the key elements.”
Q: Is Ferrari an attractive proposition for Adrian Newey?
MP: “Ferrari have many pieces of the puzzle when it comes to attracting Adrian Newey, they have the best drivers and Lewis Hamilton is obviously a big draw.
“They have a great engine programme, a great team principal and a lot of good engineers, if Adrian and Lewis do link up that would attract the top engineering talent.
“So Ferrari certainly have all the pieces of the puzzle to pull everything together, it will be fascinating to see how it all plays out.”
Adrian Newey at Work at Red Bull
By Morio - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25089527
Q: How much will Adrian Newey’s decision impact Red Bull?
MP: “Adrian Newey’s decision will have a big impact on Red Bull. When you move into the unknown with rules changes Adrian is a special character when it comes to defining the future of the team he is with.
“But Red Bull do have Max Verstappen and lots of good people with a good programme behind them.
“They're working hard in the background to make sure all those pieces are working nicely together.
“But I always say that the package is super important and they’ll be looking into the areas that they are missing to fill those gaps with new people.”
Formula 1 Constructors Championship Betting Odds
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Q: What has gone wrong for Daniel Ricciardo?
MP: “It’s a tricky one with Daniel Ricciardo, who is obviously a huge talent, super interesting for the media and important at Red Bull.
“But in a time in which motorsport is blossoming, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him take up other options that are available away from F1.
“Having said that, he might even end up in the Red Bull main team again so it’s very hard to predict but he is a great talent and is super important to Formula One.”
Q: What was Michael Schumacher’s aura like during his time in F1?
The Lasting Legacy of Michael Schumacher in F1
MP: “Sports needs superstars and F1 had one in Michael Schumacher during his time in the car. He was not just a superstar but a superstar that lasted a long period of time at the very top.
“All sports need that focal point for fame, it’s a bit like how important Lewis Hamilton is to F1 now as well as Max Verstappen bringing in different demographics. The driver element is so important.”
Q: Would Michael Schumacher have been a team principal if he was still in the sport?
MP: “What was so special about Michael Schumacher, as I understand it from the outside, during his time in F1 was that he would put a lot of effort into walking the factory floor and. saying hello to every single person that played their part in his teams.
“It's amazing how those small things make a difference to people, him caring about the 1000 people or so that were back at the factory.
“He did a great job of bringing together people who were in completely different roles and having a positive impact on that. It’s impossible to overestimate just how important that was.”
Michael Schumacher at Ferrari
Q: Did Mick Schumacher miss his golden chance to have a long F1 career?
MP: “Looking at the sport at the moment and all the young drivers getting in, it does seem like things are getting pretty tough when it comes to getting chances.
“You’ve got Oliver Bearman at Ferrari and so many others, it feels like if you get a chance and don’t succeed that you might not get another chance, which could apply to Mick Schumacher.
“Looking at it from the outside, I imagine there will be opportunities for young drivers that are coming up that Schumacher may miss out on which means he has missed his chance.
“Having said that, you can never predict what it going to happen in the future.”
Q: Could Lando Norris vs Oscar Piastri turn into an iconic rivalry at McLaren?
MP: “What is so important as a driver is having a rival on either side of the garage pushing you to be at your very best.
“Part of the reason they are doing so well at the moment is because they have that pressure. It might not quite be equal at the moment, but I’m from Melbourne so I am biased towards Oscar Piastri.
“But Piastri is starting to understand the tyres and the long run and how to be consistent in performances over and over again, the more he gets used to that the closer he will get to Lando.
“You can’t underestimate how important having two equal drivers are especially when they're at a high level, so I think McLaren have done a great job at finding a really good driver pairing.
“Zak Brown has really got the team working together, they have a good understanding of aerodynamics as well as engineers, staff and resources.
“They've got all of the pieces of the puzzle so that's going to set them in good stead over these next few years.”
⚔️ Battle at the Garage: Norris vs Piastri at McLaren! 🏁
Q: Could Lando Norris become the face of F1?
MP: “Lando Norris can definitely become the face of F1. There’s periods in sport where you have these superheroes and then they retire and you need youngsters to take on that role.
“When youngsters start being successful and everything then all of a sudden there's a snowball and and you suddenly see the young drivers everywhere, you only have to look in the media now.
“We are going through that cycle with George Russell, Lando Norris, Alex Albon and beyond. I see them as a group who are all learning alongside each other.”
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Q: Did Esteban Ocon’s crash lead to his Alpine exit?
MP: “We don’t know if Esteban Ocon’s crash had anything to do with his Alpine exit, there will be things going on in the background.
“We've obviously seen a lot of things change with Alpine over the last few months so hard to predict what's coming next.
“With Ocon, I'm sure in the background they probably had other other things that they were targeting. I suppose we'll see what happens with the circus around drivers over the next few months.”
Q: Could Jack Doohan replace Esteban Ocon at Alpine?
MP: “With Jack Doohan, he could be part of the cycle at the moment of young drivers being given opportunities in the sport.
“I don't know exactly what changes, but at some points in history you see many experienced drivers replaced by young prospects.
“You just have to look at Oliver Bearman doing a great job and obviously Alex Albon who seems to be settling into Williams and being the leader.
“Maybe this is the time that Jack gets his chance, which I would be a fan of because of course I love Australian drivers.”
Q: Is Lewis Hamilton the best F1 driver of all time?
Lewis Hamilton - The Greatest?
MP: “Lewis Hamilton is definitely one of the best drivers of all time, certainly the best of his era.
“His move to Mercedes was incredibly well timed and it's not just about luck, it's about preparation, I don't really believe in luck.
“He has shown in the past that he knows the right time to move, he is incredibly talented at that and it’s a big factor in a driver’s career.
“I see him at the same level as Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, Hamilton is definitely one of the best ever.”
Q: What would winning a drivers’ world championship with Ferrari do for Hamilton’s legacy?
MP: “When you talk about Ferrari being iconic, I have kept a refusal letter I received from Ferrari from 25 years ago just because it has a Ferrari letter head.
“Everyone loves Ferrari and it looks like Hamilton’s move could be incredibly well timed with the rules changes that are coming.”
Q: How is the relationship between Lance and Lawrence Stroll impacting Aston Martin?
🚗💨 Inside the Stroll-Aston Martin Dynamics:
MP: “It's very difficult to outline which piece of the puzzle Aston Martin doesn't have at the moment, it could be drivers, engineering, tyres, resources. We just don’t know.
“You can say that it’s not Fernando Alonso, who is one of the very best in giving direction to the team in terms of development and where they should go next.
“They also have some of the best engines. One of my old colleagues there, Pedro de la Rosa, is really important behind the scenes in looking after the drivers and supporting them.
“It’s a difficult one to understand from the outside, I can’t put my finger on it.”
Q: Could Aston Martin’s issues lead to Fernando Alonso’s departure?
MP: “Fernando Alonso is going to be pushing Aston Martin like crazy on everything in trying to improve performances, but you have to wonder what might be next for him.
“He's obviously super fit and super capable so I think the world is still his oyster.
“Having said that, he has put his money where his mouth is by signing up again and they need to keep developing the team and see what they can do before the rule change.”
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Q: Could you compare Lawrence Stroll to Todd Boehly?
MP: “One of the books I read early on in my career was about Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, what I learned from that is they had all the foundations but needed Eric Cantona to unlock the next step.
“You have to find the right pieces of the puzzle in the right way because I do believe that sometimes the right pieces of the puzzle have to come together in the right way.
“So you can compare Lawrence Stroll to Todd Boehly in the sense that they need to find the right piece of the puzzle before they are to achieve success in their respective teams.”
Q: Could Formula E ever overtake Formula 1?
By KAgamemnon - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=130547038
MP: ”In Formula E we're getting up to 700 kilowatts, which is a lot of power.
“Formula 1 stays in that sort of 500 to 1000 kilowatt sort of range, typically, you get more, and then you would get brought back again to try to stay in that range because of safety.
“I think it's a different type of racing, and it appeals to different people, obviously only been going for 10 years, Formula One's been going for a lot longer.
“I do think that with the new hybridization in F1, it could lead to different formats and sustainable fuels.
“Maybe they’ll change the fuel to some other things, like hydrogen or something in the future. In Formula E we’ll hit a power level where it’s deemed enough, get better tyres and development will continue.”
