Red Bull hopes Norris and Piastri’s battle at McLaren will split points, easing Verstappen’s path to another championship defense.
According to Dr. Helmut Marko, Red Bull is not overly concerned, though he openly admitted that McLaren F1 is heading into the 2025 season as the clear favorite (Read Here).
And if McLaren is ahead, Marko also asserts that the hierarchy within the Woking team is clear. The question remains whether they will favor a single driver.
“Lando Norris has to be considered the favorite.”
“It’s clear he looked significantly better than Oscar Piastri in Bahrain. The key is that they can take points from each other, and we can benefit from it.”
Indeed, McLaren is entering the new season emphasizing that both Norris and Piastri will be allowed to fight for the drivers’ title.
“For us, Max is the obvious number one, but I don’t think Piastri will accept being number two. That was already evident last season—on certain tracks, he was on the same level, if not faster, than Lando. Hopefully, that works to our advantage and Max’s.”
Two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen, like most other analysts, also agrees that Norris and McLaren arrive in Melbourne as the favorites.
“I think Lando is ready to win,” said the Finn.
“The question is what lessons he has learned from last year’s title fight. Making mistakes is nothing to be ashamed of, but raw speed alone is not enough to win. Just look at Max—he won last year even though his car’s development wasn’t optimal.”
However, Hakkinen insists that with this being the final season under the current chassis and engine regulations, the title fight is set to be close and intense.
“I could spend an entire day explaining why one driver could prevail over another.”
A particular challenge for the four-time reigning world champion will be psychological and motivational.
“It won’t be easy for Max mentally. From the outside, people see the races, the tests, and the interviews, but beyond the spotlight, there is also a lot of hard work. Managing pressure and criticism is just as important.”
However, Hakkinen acknowledges that Verstappen is already a master at handling pressure.
“Max knows what needs to be done, and he does it. And if I compare it to my own experience, Verstappen also has to perform at the highest level in a Formula 1 era filled with talent—from Hamilton to Norris, and from Russell to Leclerc.”
“Max deserves a lot of respect for that.”
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