Marko would have given plum Mercedes drive to Wehrlein

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Mercedes choosing Valtteri Bottas as Nico Rosberg's replacement is still fueling a debate, with Helmut Marko the latest voice to chime in.

Red Bull's motorsport boss, who once elevated a 17-year-old to the rank of Grand Prix driver, says that he would have rather  taken a chance on Pascal Wehrlein than go through the expense of poaching Valtteri Bottas from Williams.

"For us, we would have done differently, we would have trained a junior. No risk, no fun," the Austrian told motorsport-magazin.com.

For some, Bottas could be defined as a clear number two alongside Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, a situation which could lend itself to a lot less tension compared to last season's rivalry in the team.

Red Bull's competitive line-up could backfire on the other hand, with Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen racing so hard for the title that the pair would take points from each other and lose out to Hamilton.

"This danger is quite real," Marko admitted.

"But it does not change our racing philosophy or enthusiasm in any way. With us, there are no team orders. We are more racers than that."

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