Candid Marko assesses Verstappen's criticism of the new F1 cars

After Sunday's race in Melbourne, Verstappen reiterated that he is not a fan of the new racing style. He would prefer changes to be implemented sooner rather than later. Helmut Marko tells GPblog that patience is required. "I think we need to give it a bit more time. It will get better," Marko began.

The Austrian then added: "What I don’t like is that the focus is shifting more and more to the engineers, saying 'now you have power, now you have a better engine.' So the original skill of the driver is not so much the focus anymore at the moment. But let's see if they can change it, or if everyone can be on the same level, because this weekend the Mercedes was so much faster than anybody else."

The expectation in the paddock is that the gaps will narrow over the course of the season. According to Marko, one thing will be crucial in the coming period: "I think it's more about getting to know the engines, even though the tyre wear on the McLarens, and also on the Red Bull, was not at the level of Mercedes."

All in all, Marko concluded: "So Mercedes is ahead engine-wise and chassis-wise. So it will get closer, but you saw Max couldn’t overtake Lando [Norris]. That's because if two have the same speed and you don't make a mistake, [nothing happens], as you saw with Leclerc and Russell."

Marko admitted that the race was certainly no dull procession. "Yes, the first couple of laps were exciting. But after that, you saw that Hamilton came closer, but was nowhere near enough to overtake.

"The same happened with Antonelli and Russell. They all stayed within the same difference. I think the only one who overtook after a battle was Bearman, who overtook Lindblad. But that also had something to do with the tyres," the former Red Bull advisor analyzed.