The former Red Bull analyzed the Australian GP like this
Come on 45 overtakes of the 2025 edition to the 120 recorded yesterday: F1 2026 started ‘with a bang’ in terms of overtaking, but quantity rarely equals quality and the Australian GP fully falls into this category although it cannot be denied that it was fun to see continuous exchanges of positions between Leclerc and Russell.
The number of times in which the two overtook each other and the ease with which the opponent’s response arrived punctually after each attack, however, highlights how in reality they were not real overtaking, but simply a different use of the energy available.
Helmut Markoabout whom everything can be said, but certainly not without the experience and skills to analyze an F1 GP, commented on the Melbourne race as follows: “The first two laps were exciting, it’s true, but in reality it’s as if nothing had happened in the end – Marko’s words reported by gpblog.com – if two drivers have the same speed and don’t make mistakes, nothing happens, as happened for example when Verstappen caught up with Norris or when Hamilton got close to Leclerc and Russell. I think the only real battle was the one between Oliver Bearman and Arvid Lindblad, but it was still a duel influenced by the state of the tyres.”
Marko, however, is not critical of the current rules regardless, even if from his point of view the role of the pilot is mortified: “I think that we need to give this F1 2026 a little more timethings will get better – added Marko – what I don’t like is that the focus is shifting more and more to the engineers, the drivers count less. This weekend Mercedes were quite a lot faster than anyone else, I think it’s more about knowing the engines, although the tire wear of the McLarens, and also the Red Bulls, wasn’t at the level of the Mercedes, so Mercedes has the advantage from an engine and chassis point of view.”
