Mercedes rolled into the Australian Grand Prix looking suspiciously like a different species of race car. Former Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko watched the show and bluntly concluded the Silver Arrows are roughly a second per lap faster than everyone else. Yes, one second. In Formula 1, that is basically a lifetime.

What happened in Australia

George Russell grabbed pole position on Saturday, with team-mate Kimi Antonelli lining up alongside him in second. Russells lap was around eight tenths quicker than Red Bulls Isack Hadjar, who took third.

At the race start Ferrari tried to make things interesting and even looked like a threat for a while. But differing strategies shuffled the order and Mercedes ended up bringing home a calm, efficient one-two.

Antonellis little comeback

Antonelli had a rough launch and dropped back to seventh on the opening lap. Then, like someone remembering they left the kettle on, he calmly climbed back up to second. Marko spotted that during this recovery phase Antonelli was about a second a lap quicker than the traffic around him.

Markos verdict

After studying the pace of the W17, Marko said the car felt "like it was on rails" and that it looked "really good, unlike in previous years." Harsh for the competition, glowing for Mercedes.

Marko, who left Red Bull at the end of 2025 after 20 years with the team, also admitted the race still got his heart racing. He said he expected surprises at the start and that his pulse spiked when he saw two Red Bulls up front on the first lap. Nostalgia lives on, apparently.

Why it matters

  • A one-second advantage per lap is massive in F1 terms and gives Mercedes a clear upper hand.
  • Mercedess W17 looks significantly improved compared with recent seasons.
  • Even with Ferrari poking the bear, smart strategy and raw pace let Mercedes convert speed into positions.

So, if you were planning to bet your pizza money on a comeback from the rest of the field this weekend, maybe hold off. Mercedes has its foot down and, for now, it looks like theyre in a different gear entirely.