Helmut Marko complains 2026 regulations are ‘too tedious’ after watching Australian Grand Prix

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The Australian Grand Prix was the first taste of the 2026 Formula 1 regulations, but former Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko was not too impressed.

Multiple drivers expressed concern about the rule changes and the new cars heading into the season. Max Verstappen likened the changes to ‘Formula E on steroids’, while Lewis Hamilton felt the rules were too complex to understand.

The Austrian was another critic after seeing the cars in action during pre-season testing. Marko warned the Australian GP would have a rolling start due to the new start procedure, where drivers have to charge the turbo to get a good launch off the line.

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No rolling start occurred in Melbourne, but the new procedure caught out several cars on the grid, with Franco Colapinto almost crashing into Liam Lawson after the Kiwi driver failed to get a good start.

George Russell won the race for Mercedes, with Kimi Antonelli securing the 1-2 finish. Marko’s former team registered eight points courtesy of Verstappen, who climbed from P20, while Isack Hadjar retired with a mechanical failure.

Helmut Marko says overtaking ‘hasn’t improved in any way’ after watching Australian Grand Prix

Speaking to sport.de, Marko was initially entertained by the Australian Grand Prix as Russell and Charles Leclerc fought for the lead in the early stages. F1 were keen to point out that there were 120 overtakes in 2026 compared to last year’s 45.

However, Lando Norris claimed the overtakes were ‘artificial’ and down to drivers saving the battery at various stages in the race. Marko agreed, complaining that the rules were ‘too tedious’.

“The first few laps were a good show,” he said. “Once the Mercedes drivers stopped competing and pulled away, it became clear what kind of dominance and lead Mercedes had.

The former Red Bull chief was not keen on the overtaking, in fact saying: “I wouldn’t even call it that.” He felt drivers were merely “driving past,” and that “overtaking in the classic sense hasn’t improved in any way.”

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about former Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko

Helmut Marko admits the 2026 F1 regulations ‘should be given a chance’

With that said, Marko was quick to admit that the new rule changes needed time, and he is confident that they will improve as the season develops.

He said that the regulations “should be given a chance. It will certainly get better,” but he stressed that the rulebook was “far too complicated. All that detail was just too tedious for me.”

Marko continued: “There haven’t been any real overtaking manoeuvres in the sense that someone brakes later or gets out of the corner better.

“What’s most annoying is hearing someone lift off the throttle on the straight. That’s hard to reconcile with the DNA of Formula 1. But again: the regulations are still in their early stages, there will certainly be significant progress.”