Former Red Bull Racing consultant Helmut Marko praised Mercedes’ performance at the Formula 1 Australian GP, stating that the German team showed they were about one second per lap ahead of their competitors.
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“(Kimi) Antonelli dropped to seventh at the start and quickly climbed to second. During this phase, he was approximately one second faster than the others,” Marko told sport.de.
George Russell took pole position on Saturday, ahead of teammate Antonelli, with a time eight-tenths faster than Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar. During the race, Mercedes faced resistance from Ferrari, but a strategic difference allowed the team to secure a one-two finish, with Russell securing the victory.
Marko stated that the W17 seemed to be ‘on rails’ and proved to be ‘really good, different from previous years’, highlighting the car’s evolution compared to past seasons.
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Although he left Red Bull at the end of 2025 after twenty years of service, Marko still follows the category closely and revealed his reaction to the initial race battle: “My heart raced because I knew the start would bring some surprises. When two Red Bull cars were ahead on the first lap, my pulse definitely went up,” the former consultant concluded.
Marko’s praise confirms Mercedes as the major force to be beaten this season, reinforcing expectations for intense duels with Red Bull and Ferrari in the upcoming rounds.
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