Helmut Marko laughed off the claim that Mercedes might prioritise Aston Martin's potential challenge to defending champions Red Bull this season.
The Silver Arrows came into the new Formula 1 campaign hoping to get off to a better start than they did this time last year. But the Bahrain Grand Prix only brought more disappointment, and further indication that they are in for another tough season.
With the works team looking unlikely to challenge for the title and engine customers Aston Martin getting off to a great start, a rumour was born. It claimed the Mercedes top brass would consider giving its best power units to the Silverstone team to aid their push for race wins this year.
Not only would Mercedes want to see Red Bull challenged for the title, but they also have a vested interest in Aston Martin's success as stakeholders in the company. Toto Wolff also owns shares, though such a move would also bring some embarrassment for the team principal.
But Red Bull don't believe there is any substance to the rumour. Long serving adviser Marko cannot see any version of events which would lead to Mercedes providing such support to a rival.
He told Sport1 : "Why should Mercedes make a competitor stronger? That makes no sense. Despite all cooperation, at the end of the day, Aston Martin is a competitor for Mercedes in the passenger car sector.
"Mercedes will now do everything to make the disappointing start to the season forgotten. With this ambitious task, there is certainly no room to help Aston Martin."
Franz Tost, team principal of Red Bull's sister outfit AlphaTauri, agrees that the rumour is unlikely to be proven true. He described the speculation as "nonsense" and pointed to the fact the F1 rules would seem to prohibit any such move.
The Austrian added: "The regulations clearly stipulate that engine manufacturers must receive the same material and, as far as I know, this is meticulously adhered to by everyone. Favouring a team is therefore forbidden and unrealistic."
