Helmut Marko, former Red Bull Racing consultant, shares the same critical view as Max Verstappen regarding the new Formula 1 cars. In an interview with GPblog, the Austrian analyzed the impact of the new technical rules, which had their first test at the Australian GP this Sunday (08).
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“I think we need to give it a little more time. It will improve,” Marko stated, pondering the dissatisfaction of the Dutch driver, and several others, with the current racing style. “What I don’t like is that the focus is increasingly on the engineers, saying: ‘Now you have power, now you have a better engine’. The driver’s original skill is no longer the main point at this moment. But let’s see if they can change that, or if everyone will be on the same level, because this weekend Mercedes was much faster than anyone else,” he said.
According to Marko, Mercedes’ advantage stood out in both the engine and the chassis, which explains the difficulty in overtaking observed in Australia: “Mercedes is ahead in engine and chassis. It will get closer, but you saw that Max couldn’t pass Lando (McLaren’s Norris). That’s because if two have the same speed and you don’t make a mistake, nothing happens, as happened with (Charles) Leclerc and (George) Russell,” he added.
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Despite the criticism, Marko assessed that the race in Melbourne was not monotonous, highlighting some moments of competition in the opening laps: “Yes, the first laps were exciting. But then you saw (Lewis) Hamilton getting closer, but far from being able to overtake. The same happened with (Kimi) Antonelli and Russell. Everyone stayed within the same gap. I think the only one who managed to overtake after a battle was (Oliver) Bearman, who passed (Arvid) Lindblad, but that also had to do with the tires,” the Austrian concluded.
This analysis by Marko highlights that, although driver skill is still relevant, adaptation to the new power units and the technical balance between teams will be decisive for the progress of the 2026 season.
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