Helmut Marko has scoffed at claims Red Bull is now formula one’s biggest spender.
Some reports have said the energy drink-owned team, who won the championships in 2010 and are tipped to once again set the pace in 2011, spent EUR 300 million on F1 last year.

“Those figures are completely wrong; the truth is less than half of that,” team consultant Dr Marko told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

The Austrian implied that the false numbers were released maliciously.

“Either someone spread these false figures deliberately, or he cannot read a balance sheet,” said Marko.

He said Red Bull Racing actually ranks as the fourth-highest spender in pitlane, with Auto Motor und Sport claiming the team’s true budget is closer to EUR 160m.

There is some bad feeling in the paddock at present, as Red Bull is accused of breaking the Resource Restriction Agreement last year.

With the disagreement not yet resolved, the team is refusing to agree to a new agreement for 2011.

“We are not opposed to saving, it’s just that it can’t only benefit the teams that are not good enough by only restricting the aerodynamics.

“We say yes to savings, if the engine areas are affected in the same way,” insisted Marko.

He said Red Bull is also opposed to financial penalties being paid to the other teams to “supplement their budgets”, arguing that those found guilty of breaking the agreement should instead pay fines “for the promotion of the sport, or to charity”.

The likelihood of imminent ‘number 1′ status for Mark Webber has taken a backwards step.

After the Australian moved further ahead of Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel in Belgium two weeks ago, he suggested the time might be nearing for the team to put its eggs in the Webber basket.

However, the 34-year-old has a tetchy relationship with team consultant Dr Helmut Marko, particularly after the Silverstone front wing saga and Webber’s unhappy boast that he is the “number 2 driver”.

So when it was put to Austrian Dr Marko that Webber might now be favoured over Vettel, he told Sportwoche: “A few races ago he (Webber) was demanding more equality!”

Marko is also critical of McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh’s post-Belgium comments that Vettel has become F1′s “crash kid”.

“That’s not a fair way for them to fight for the championship,” he charged.