Australian GP: Max Verstappen Admits Red Bull ‘Not The Quickest’ Ahead Of F1 Season Opener
March 13, 2025
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Reigning Formula 1 Drivers’ Champion Max Verstappen has hinted that he will head into the 2025 F1 season knowing that his Red Bull isn’t quite on the pace compared to his rivals.
Verstappen captured his fourth straight F1 Drivers’ Championship in 2024, but the second half of the season saw him having to battle McLaren and Ferrari, whose cars closed the gap on his Red Bull and, on some circuits, surpassed it.
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Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing talks during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on March 13, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing talks during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on March 13, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. Mark Thompson/Getty Images
That swing in the balance of power seems to have continued during the off-season, with McLaren and Ferrari both looking strong in testing ahead of the new season.
Speaking ahead of the opening race of the season in Melbourne, Verstappen took a positive stance when asked about his car, but admitted that the team still had some room for improvement to bring the car fully up to speed.
“What kind of shape? Positive shape, I guess. I don’t know,” he laughed.
“I guess we’ll find out more this weekend, and after, but we’ll try to do our best.
“There’s not really much more that we can do. I think testing is not many days, so we found already a few areas that we can work on, and that’s what we’ll continue to do.”
The Dutchman said that his new car was a step above the machine he drove to the 2024 world title, but given the improvements to the other big teams on the grid, he said the need to find more enhancements will continue beyond the season’s first race in Australia.
“I think naturally, it is an improvement (from last year). But I think I’ve said it before – there are still things that we want to improve on and do better,” he admitted
“Now, naturally, this is of course a different track to Bahrain. So that already will feel a bit different to drive the car here, but yeah, step by step.”
Many are predicting a much tighter, more competitive championship in 2025, with Ferrari and McLaren both looking to mount two-pronged attacks on the Drivers’ Championship.
Verstappen said that he couldn’t agree or disagree with those predictions until he sees how things pan out on track. All he does know is that his team doesn’t seem to have the upper hand that it has enjoyed ahead of previous seasons.
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“(It’s) Impossible to know at the moment,” he said.
“I mean, I know that we are not the quickest at the moment, but again, it’s a very long season.
“If you would have asked that question here last year, and then at the end of the season again, you know, it looked completely different. So a lot of things can always change quite quickly in Formula 1.”
More Formula 1:
Oscar Piastri Confirms McLaren Future Ahead Of Australian Grand Prix
Jack Doohan Under Pressure Before F1 Season Opener After ‘Big Difference’ In Testing
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