Red Bull Advantage in Bahrain? Yes, According to McLaren Drivers

After the sublime victory of Max Verstappen in Japan, Red Bull Can she repeat the feat this weekend in Bahrain? Lando Norris et McLaren, there is a risk. The Briton believes that the Dutchman will once again be a threat on the Sakhir circuit, a track which should – according to him – highlight the qualities of the RB21 and conversely, undermine the MCL39. "Our weakness is in the slow corners compared to [Red Bull], said the championship leader after Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix, where he finished second. There are a lot fewer high-speed corners [in Bahrain], so we lose some of our strengths and move more towards our weaknesses."

Since the introduction of the current technical regulations in 2022, McLaren has never really shone on the Sakhir circuit (12 points scored in the last three Bahrain Grands Prix), a track which does not correspond to the qualities of the car British. The MCL39 suffers in slow corners and this weakness was still visible at Suzuka last Sunday, where Lando Norris lost contact in the second sector behind Max Verstappen. Conversely, the RB21 seems more comfortable in slow corners, which could work in its favor in Bahrain. On the Sakhir circuit, there are three areas with slow corners: the sequence of turns 1-2-3, turn 8 at the start of the second sector and turn 10 before the back straight.

"Red Bull seems to have caught up," according to Norris

In addition to Max Verstappen's driving skills, Lando Norris believes that Red Bull has improved its car over the first three Grands Prix of the season. "It's clear they're fast. I feel like Oscar and I asked a lot of the car [in qualifying]. We could have done better, yes, but our two best theoretical times weren't that far ahead of [Vertsappen's pole], confided the BritonMax is doing a good job and Red Bull seems to have caught up. But they haven't been that bad since the start of the season either. In Australia, he was fighting for the win. In China, he wasn't far behind. And this weekend, he did very well. So I expect him to challenge us every weekend."

However, Lando Norris and Oscar piastri will be able to rely on the intrinsic qualities of the MCL39, particularly regarding tire management in warmer temperatures. For the Englishman, McLaren knows in which areas it still needs to work to erase the defects of its car. “In the high-speed corners, we were very, very strong and I think we had the stronger car. In the low-speed corners, we were quite far behind the Red Bull, and that’s where we lost out in qualifying and in the race. So there are a lot of areas we need to try and work on.” Lando Norris acknowledged. The Briton is aiming for a second victory in 2025 to increase his championship lead, which is just one point ahead of Max Verstappen.

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