Max Verstappen makes his feelings known on where Red Bull is ahead of the 2025 F1 Australian GP
Max Verstappen believes Red Bull is in a strong position as Formula 1 kicks off the 2025 season. In a press conference ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, he acknowledged that limited pre-season testing had left room for further improvements on the RB21.
Red Bull completed the fewest laps among the front-running teams, trailing McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes in mileage. Verstappen and his new teammate Liam Lawson struggled with balance issues during testing, with spins on track raising concerns about the car’s handling. Many speculated that the team appeared uncertain about its development direction.
Despite the challenges, the 27-year-old remains optimistic about Red Bull’s progress for Melbourne. He emphasized that three days of testing were insufficient to gauge the true position in the pecking order.
Asked what shape Red Bull is in ahead of the 2025 F1 season, Max Verstappen said:
“Yeah, all good. What kind of shape? Positive shape I guess. I don't know. Guess we'll find out more this weekend and after it. Yeah, we’ll try to do our best. I mean, there's not really much more that we can do."
"You know, testing isn’t many days. So we found, already, a few areas that we can work on and that's what, we'll continue to do so,” Max Verstappen added.
Asked what the understanding of the car is after testing in Bahrain, the four-time world champion replied:
“Yeah, I think naturally there is an improvement, but I think I've said it before: there are still things that we want to improve on and do better now. This is of course also a different track to Bahrain. So yeah, that already will feel a bit different to drive the car here. But yeah, step by step.”
Verstappen believes it is too early to predict whether the 2025 season will be more competitive than 2024.
Max Verstappen reckons it is difficult to predict the season and the pecking order
Reflecting on the previous year's unpredictability in the press conference ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen acknowledged how quickly momentum can shift in Formula 1. Given the sport's ever-evolving nature, he refrained from making bold forecasts about the season ahead.
Asked if he expected a tighter season compared to the previous season, the Dutchman said:
“Impossible to know at the moment. 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 One. “
With stable regulations in 2025, the grid could tighten further, setting the stage for a highly competitive season. The challenge has only intensified for the Milton Keynes-based team as rivals McLaren and Ferrari have made significant strides in car development.
Red Bull started the 2024 season as the dominant force, leading both the constructors’ and drivers’ championships. However, by the end of the year, it had slipped to third in the constructors’ standings, while Max Verstappen narrowly secured his fourth title with two races to spare.