Verstappen acknowledges Red Bull's early challenges as 2025 F1 season begins

Dominika Jordan
Mar 13, 2025, 02:40 AM ET

As the 2025 Formula 1 season kicks off with the Australian Grand Prix, defending champion Max Verstappen struck a note of cautious optimism regarding Red Bull's chances. Despite having clinched the drivers' title for the past four years, Verstappen acknowledged that Red Bull might not yet be the quickest team on the grid.

Verstappen's campaign for a fifth successive title begins under the shadow of question marks about the pace of the RB21 car. McLaren and Ferrari have captivated the paddock with their strong winter testing performances in Bahrain, raising the stakes for Red Bull.

"I know that we are not the quickest at the moment," Verstappen admitted to reporters at Albert Park on Thursday. "But, again, it's a very long season. If you would have asked that question here last year and at the end of the season again, you know, it would look completely different. So a lot of things can always change quite quickly in Formula 1."

Reflecting on the team's progress, Verstappen noted that the current car is an improvement from the one he drove to a sixth-place finish at the 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi. However, there are still issues to resolve.

"I guess we'll find out more this weekend and after. But we'll try to do our best," he said. "I mean, there's not really much more that we can do. I think [at] testing, there's not many days. So we found that there are already a few areas that we can work on. And that's what we'll continue to do."

This weekend's race also marks a milestone in Verstappen's career, commemorating the 10th anniversary of his Formula 1 debut at Albert Park. At just 17 years and 166 days old, he became the youngest driver to start a Grand Prix, driving for Toro Rosso.

When asked what advice he would give to his younger self if he could, Verstappen emphasized the importance of learning through experience.

"It's important to make your mistakes and, of course, feel that excitement at the time, because if I would have told him at the time what he would achieve in the sport, then it's pretty boring to know what's ahead, right?" Verstappen said. "You need to have that uncertainty. You need to feel the pressure of having to perform at the time, to work your way into a top team."

As the lights go out on Sunday, all eyes will be on whether Verstappen and Red Bull can overcome their early-season challenges and continue their dominance in the sport.