Marko anticipated the upcoming clampdown on flex in the China GP, according to a report.

      "In my opinion, anything that cannot be verified should not be allowed."

      By GMM

      18 March 2025 - 08:43

      A prominent Dutch journalist believes he understands why Dr. Helmut Marko left Australia feeling positive. Describing both Max and his father Jos as "pessimists," and himself as an "optimist," the Red Bull advisor Marko expressed confidence that the team could significantly close the pace gap to early championship leaders McLaren within five races. Journalist Erik van Haren speculates that Marko, 81, may have even been anticipating an even quicker turnaround. "On Sunday, insiders were already reporting that the FIA would be implementing stricter checks on rear wings from now on," he noted in the De Telegraaf newspaper.

      In Melbourne, the sport’s governing body set up ultra-HD cameras on the cars during practice to observe rear wing flexibility—the type that experts labeled a 'mini-DRS' on the McLaren last year, which the FIA rendered illegal over the winter. "After analyzing the footage of rear wing deformations in conjunction with the static deflections measured in the FIA garage in Melbourne, the FIA has determined that there are sufficient grounds to introduce a stricter test on the upper rear wing starting from the upcoming Chinese GP," the FIA has confirmed.

      Following the pre-season test in Bahrain, Red Bull's technical director Pierre Wache remarked, "I believe Ferrari and McLaren are still using the mini-DRS. It's still happening." Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff stated in Melbourne that he does not believe wing flexibility is the reason behind McLaren’s current advantage. However, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner remarked after the race, "It’s rather odd that McLaren has excellent (tyre) warm-up along with very little degradation. Usually, one comes at the cost of the other. You can achieve one, but not both."

      Red Bull is hoping that the anticipated removal of the mini-DRS effect in Shanghai this weekend will diminish some of McLaren’s edge. Van Haren suspects that the team was aware that the FIA’s crackdown for China was imminent. "This is one of the reasons he was relatively optimistic about closing the gap to McLaren, which is clearly too fast at this moment," he stated. "Within Red Bull, there is a belief that the FIA's new regulations will certainly impact the competition."

      Amid his optimism, even Marko has reservations about whether the FIA can truly restrain clever F1 engineers who find ways to navigate the rules. "The teams simply have far more resources than the FIA," he told Servus TV. "Therefore, in my opinion, anything that cannot be verified must not be permitted."