Thrilling Battle in Melbourne: Verstappen Admits McLaren's Edge

Verstappen Fights Hard but Concedes McLaren’s Dominance in Melbourne

16/03/2025

Max Verstappen delivered a fierce fight in Melbourne but admitted McLaren had the upper hand, securing crucial points despite lacking race pace.

Max Verstappen secured an unexpected second-place finish in Melbourne, despite trailing the McLaren F1 cars by up to 15 seconds at the midpoint of the race. In the end, Red Bull’s smart race strategy allowed him to challenge Lando Norris for victory in the closing laps.

“It was a tough race, but I had fun in the end. Lando made a small mistake at Turn 6, which gave me the chance to close in and activate DRS. It was exciting to push and fight for the win, and I’m happy to finish second and score solid points—it’s a strong start for us,” Verstappen said.

Verstappen Gambles in Rain but Concedes McLaren’s Superior Pace

Red Bull initially kept him on track in the rain, hoping he could continue on medium tires, but he ultimately made the call to pit. However, staying out for an extra lap on slicks didn’t change the outcome, and Verstappen understood the team’s strategy.

“When the rain started, I told the team I needed to pit, but I stayed out. Then the conditions worsened, so we had no choice but to come in. Even if we had pitted one lap earlier, we still would have finished second. It was worth the gamble, and honestly, it was quite thrilling on slicks in those conditions!”

The Dutchman acknowledged McLaren’s superior pace at this stage of the season but remained satisfied with his result, which delivered valuable points.

“We are where I expected to be—we lacked pace compared to McLaren. But in the end, it’s 18 more points than I scored here last year, so I’ll take it!”

Max Verstappen delivered a fierce fight in Melbourne but admitted McLaren had the upper hand, securing crucial points despite lacking race pace.

Thrilling Battle in Melbourne: Verstappen Admits McLaren’s Edge Thrilling Battle in Melbourne: Verstappen Admits McLaren’s Edge

Race Center
China Flag
Chinese GP
21 Mar 2025 - 23 Mar 2025
Free Practice 1
21 MAR 03:30 - 04:30
Sprint Qual
21 MAR 07:30 - 08:14
Sprint Race
22 MAR 03:00 - 04:00
Qualifying
22 MAR 07:00 - 08:00
Race
23 MAR 07:00 - 09:00

2025 F1 Australian Grand Prix - Race Results

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
57
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
+0.895s
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
+8.481s
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
+12.773s
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
+15.135s
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
+17.413s
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
+18.423s
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
+19.826s
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
+20.448s
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
+22.473s
Pierre Gasly
11
PIERRE
GASLY
+26.502s
Yuki Tsunoda
12
YUKI
TSUNODA
+29.884s
Esteban Ocon
13
ESTEBAN
OCON
+33.161s
Oliver Bearman
14
OLIVER
BEARMAN
+40.351s
Liam Lawson
15
LIAM
LAWSON
47 DNF
Gabriel Bortoleto
16
GABRIEL
BORTOLETO
47 DNF
Fernando Alonso
17
FERNANDO
ALONSO
34 DNF
Carlos Sainz
18
CARLOS
SAINZ
0 DNF
Jack Doohan
19
JACK
DOOHAN
0 DNF
Isack Hadjar
20
ISACK
HADJAR
0 DNF
F1 CALENDAR 2025
Race
Date
Chinese Flag
Chinese
Shanghai International
23 Mar
Japanese Flag
Japanese
Suzuka Circuit
6 Apr
Bahrain Flag
Bahrain
Sakhir desert
13 Apr
Saudi Arabia Flag
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street
20 Apr
United States Flag
United States
Miami
04 May

2025 FORMULA 1 DRIVERS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
25 Points
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
18
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
15
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
12
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
10
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
8
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
6
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
4
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
2
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
1

2025 FORMULA 1 CONSTRUCTORS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

1
McLaren
27
2
Mercedes
25
3
Red Bull
18
4
Williams
12
5
Aston Martin
8
6
Sauber
6
7
Ferrari
5
8
Alpine F1
0
9
Haas F1
0
10
Racing Bulls
0
Go toTop