Afraid of McLaren?

Marko confident: “If you put the pressure on, then …”

Helmut Marko is not afraid of a possible domination by McLaren.

(Bild: Pedro Pardo/AFP)

McLaren underlined its role as favorites at the start of the new Formula 1 season and led the way with Lando Norris' victory in the rain chaos of Melbourne. The gaps at the finish were narrow, but McLaren's dominance in qualifying and at times in the Grand Prix gave the competition food for thought. But Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko is hopeful.

Norris and Australian Oscar Piastri had a McLaren one-two victory in sight for a long time, but the local hero was ultimately relegated to ninth place due to a spin in the rain. In the meantime, the Papaya duo completed their laps with a 16-second lead over Verstappen. In the time chase on Saturday, the Dutchman, who did not lead the championship for the first time in 1,029 days, was almost four tenths of a second behind in third place - a small world. "These are two very strong drivers and the car is almost perfect," said Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko in praise. "Norris drove a fantastic race, as did Max."

However, Norris was not far away from a spin either, the Styrian emphasized on ORF. "That shows that if you put the pressure on, you can do it." Defending champion and rain specialist Verstappen kept up with Norris and Piastri at times, but his RB21 still has weaknesses. "We can keep up for six to eight laps, then our tires degrade more," explained Marko. "Which is admirable at McLaren: Normally you warm up the tires faster and in return they don't last as long. But with them, both is the case. They heat up faster and have the consistency."

Stella delighted with milestone
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella was, of course, delighted that a McLaren driver is leading the championship standings for the first time since 2012. "This is another small milestone for our team," said the Italian, who left Down Under with mixed feelings. "For a long time, it looked as if we would clinch a one-two victory." However, if the MCL39 continues to be so competitive, Piastri will not have to wait long for good results, added the 54-year-old.

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella

(Bild: GEPA)

Stella also emphasized that it will take a few more races before the true pecking order emerges. In China, where the first of six sprints is also on the program next weekend in Shanghai, Ferrari in particular wants to strike back. Due to an unfortunate tire decision in the rain lottery, Charles Leclerc (8th) and Lewis Hamilton (10th) missed out on the top positions, which meant the worst start to the season for Ferrari since 2009.

Little harmony at Ferrari
The radio conversations between the two Scuderia hopefuls and their race engineers also seemed anything but harmonious. "We are still getting to know each other. We will take our time to listen to all our radio messages and then try to learn from them," said newcomer Hamilton about the communication between him and Riccardo Adami. "Riccardo has done a great job. I'm the kind of guy who only wants a lot of information passed on when I absolutely need it," explained the record-breaking world champion.

Stella expects the Scuderia to significantly improve its performance. "It was only the first race, we haven't yet seen the true strength of Ferrari," warned the McLaren man. McLaren is now tied on points with Mercedes in the constructors' championship, and the "Silver Arrows" were more than satisfied with third and fourth place for George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. Russell drove a "terrific race", praised team boss Toto Wolff, while debutant Antonelli showed "great maturity" in his race to catch up from 16th on the grid.

Marko on Hadjar: "A bit embarrassing"
The 18-year-old Italian was the only "rookie" to keep his nerve at the turbulent season opener. Jack Doohan (Alpine), Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) and Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) parked their cars in the barriers, and Liam Lawson in the second Red Bull also failed to finish. Marko had some critical words for RB talent Hadjar. The 20-year-old Frenchman spun out on the formation lap and was consoled by Anthony Hamilton, the father of the seven-time champion. "He then put on a tearful show. That was a bit embarrassing," said 81-year-old young talent promoter Marko.