Max Verstappen rules out Red Bull dominance: 'We are not the fastest'

Max Verstappen will launch a decisive year for him on Sunday: in 2025, the Dutchman will become a father and could also become the second driver to win five consecutive championships after Michael Schumacher, intractable between 2000 and 2004. But the Dutchman begins his quest with certain uncertainties that he did not have in previous seasons. Red Bull fell from its pedestal in 2024, overtaken by McLaren et FerrariWhile Verstappen won the title partly thanks to the lead he built up at the start of the season, the last few months have revealed a real decline for the Austrians in the hierarchy. Not a good way to start 2025.

"We'll know more this weekend and beyond, but we'll try to do our best. There's not much else we can do." explains Max Verstappen, almost resigned before the first Grand Prix of the season. "I think the car is an improvement on the previous one, but there are still things we want to improve and do better." continues the number 1, a one-time winner in Melbourne, for three retirements in 2015, 2022 and 2024.

Verstappen does not expect to win in Melbourne

“It’s also a different circuit to Bahrain, so obviously the car feels a little different here. But hey, we’re taking it one step at a time. We’ll do our best to make it as competitive as possible.” assures Max Verstappen. The Dutchman also knows that 2025 will be a special season because teams will do little or no development on their single-seaters in order to focus on 2026, when new regulations come into force. "This is the last year of these regulations, so to a certain extent we're focusing on this season, and then naturally we'll eventually move on to something else." assumes the 27-year-old pilot.

Red Bull will however have to provide him with a car competitive to allow him to fight for the title, but the driver's statements and his body language since the Bahrain tests suggest that the RB21 is not as good as expected. "I know we're not the fastest right now, but it's a very long season." he analyzes honestly. The néerlandais However, he has one advantage over his rivals: he knows how to retain a title. “You just have to go out there, trust the people around you and move forward from there. Work hard, on and off the track.” he lists. Trying to fix what's wrong with the car or whatever. Always try to give your best on track, minimize mistakes and score points." Just that !

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