Verstappen Cautious, Norris Downplays McLaren's Edge as 2025 Season Begins

Melbourne, March 13 (NationPress) As the 2025 Formula 1 season commences at the Australian Grand Prix, current world champion Max Verstappen has recognized that Red Bull may not be the quickest team at this point, while Lando Norris has downplayed claims that McLaren is the team to beat.

After a commanding start to 2024, Red Bull's dominance waned in the latter part of the season, with McLaren and Ferrari posing a significant challenge. Although Verstappen secured his fourth straight Drivers’ Championship, Red Bull was outperformed in the Constructors’ Championship by McLaren. As the 2025 season begins, Verstappen anticipates an even more challenging competition.

"I am aware that we are not the fastest right now," Verstappen stated during media day. "But it’s a lengthy season. If you had posed the same question last year at this time, by the end of the season, everything appeared drastically different. In Formula 1, things can change rapidly."

Red Bull's RB21 exhibited signs of progress during pre-season testing; however, Verstappen remains cautious regarding the car’s overall competitiveness.

"Of course, there’s an enhancement from last year, but there are several areas we must improve," he noted. "Bahrain was merely a test, and now we're on an entirely different circuit. We’ll evaluate our performance here."

While Red Bull is tempering expectations, McLaren has been regarded as early favorites following a robust pre-season performance. Nonetheless, Norris, who closely contested with Verstappen in 2024, has dismissed the notion that McLaren holds a significant advantage over their competitors.

"I don’t believe we are superior to our rivals," Norris remarked. "There has been considerable discussion, but I genuinely don’t think we’re any further ahead than we were last season. It’s going to be a demanding weekend, and we’ll be contending with everyone."

Given McLaren's late-season resurgence last year, some competitors have speculated that the team might possess an advantage heading into 2025. However, Norris quickly refuted such assertions, suggesting that the narrative might be overstated.

"I’m unsure what other teams are doing, but they certainly enjoy talking!" he joked. "But it doesn’t matter. We’ll find out what transpires in the upcoming days. We had a solid test in Bahrain, but that doesn’t imply we’re faster than the others. I believe people will be surprised once the actual racing commences."

The 25-year-old further indicated that low-fuel testing times may have created a misleading impression of McLaren’s speed, adding, "I believe many teams were concealing their true performance. We don’t perceive ourselves as ahead of anyone. We are in a very similar position to our three main competitors, and we must exert ourselves to remain in front."