Max Verstappen acknowledges Red Bull’s pace concerns but stays optimistic, believing improvements will come as the season progresses.
Verstappen arrived in Melbourne with a clear message: Red Bull’s concerns about their outright pace are genuine as the 2025 season kicks off.
The Dutchman admitted, “We’re not the fastest at the moment,” but remains optimistic that things can “change quite quickly” as the year unfolds.
How’s He Feeling?
“Positive, I guess. I don’t know! We’ll find out more this weekend and beyond.”
Red Bull is fully focused on improvement, despite the limited pre-season running. “We’ve identified a few areas to work on, and we’ll keep pushing.”
When asked if the RB21 feels stronger than last year’s car, Verstappen was measured:
“There’s definitely an improvement, but we still have things to refine.”
With Melbourne being a very different circuit to Bahrain, he knows the car will feel different again: “We’ll take it step by step.”
Not Panicking Yet
“I know we’re not the fastest right now, but the season is long. If you had asked the same question last year, the picture at the end of the season would have been completely different. Things change fast in Formula 1.”
Red Bull isn’t shifting focus to 2026 just yet, either.
“We’ll do everything we can to make the RB21 as competitive as possible. It’s the last year of these regulations, so we’ll stay focused on this season before naturally looking ahead.”
On the Car’s Balance
Verstappen acknowledged the RB21 still needs work:
“We’ll make it more manageable, but Bahrain and Melbourne are very different. It’s hard to say if everything is fixed yet—we just need to be patient and see what we can recover.”
Is Defending His Title on His Mind?
“You’re making me think about things I don’t even consider! It’s much more relaxing to just go in, trust the team, and take it from there.”
For now, the plan is simple:
“We work hard on and off the track. We fix what we don’t like, do our best on race day, minimise mistakes, and score points.”
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Verstappen Stays Grounded: “We’re Not the Fastest Yet” Verstappen Stays Grounded: “We’re Not the Fastest Yet”
