Former Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko has commended Mercedes for its lightning start to the new season, believing it is one second per lap faster than the competition.
George Russell took pole position on Saturday at the Australian Grand Prix ahead of team-mate Kimi Antonelli, setting a time that was eight tenths ahead of Red Bull's Isack Hadjar in third.
Mercedes faced a challenge from Ferrari in the opening stages of the grand prix, but a strategy variance allowed the former to bring home a one-two finish.
Whilst Russell battled with Charles Leclerc for the lead in the early stages, Antonelli was forced to recover from a poor start.
Studying the pace of the Silver Arrows, Marko has concluded that it is a significant step ahead of the rest of the field.
"Antonelli dropped back to seventh at the start and then quickly moved back up to second," Marko told sport.de.
"During that phase, he was roughly a second faster than the rest."
The Austrian added that the W17 challenger was "like it was on rails" and was "really good, unlike in previous years."
Marko parted ways with Red Bull at the end of the 2025 season, bringing an end to his 20-year tenure with the squad.
However, the 82-year-old suggested he still has a connection with the team.
"My pulse was racing because I knew the start would bring some surprises," he said.
"When two Red Bull cars were at the front in the first lap, my pulse definitely went up."
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