– Helmut Marko already announced before the start of the 2026 Formula 1 season that Mercedes would probably have the edge this year. And indeed, the Silver Arrows have won all the Grand Prix races so far this season and lead both championships after the first five race weekends of 2026.
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Charles Leclerc, as third in the championship and thus the best non-Mercedes driver in the standings, is already 56 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli. Marko therefore does not expect anyone to still intervene in the championship duel between the two Mercedes drivers.
“Mercedes is clearly the strongest team,” he emphasizes in an interview with oe24 and explains: “They have the best engine and also set the tone with the battery. For the first time since 2021, they have succeeded again in building a competitive chassis.”
“In addition, they have a strong driver pairing. Although I find it very refreshing how the young Antonelli lets the car fly. But [George] Russell is the experienced one, he will strike back. That they tear each other apart in the process is the only hope,” says Marko.
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“Otherwise Mercedes is gone,” predicts the long-time Red Bull motorsport consultant, who retired from Formula 1 at the end of 2025. “I really wanted to win the fifth world championship title with Max. After we didn’t succeed, the fire went out for me,” explains Marko.
He is therefore following Formula 1 this year as a “normal fan,” he reveals, and at the same time explains that he is not happy with the new rules this season. He still watches all the races but has “difficulty” getting “excited” about the new regulations.
“Even though it has now been adapted, we are by far not seeing the racing I am used to and that the fans want to see,” emphasizes Marko, who celebrated his 83rd birthday in April – and for whom Formula 1 retirement is, according to his own statement, “more relaxed” than he had imagined.
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