Norris the favorite, but don’t forget Red Bull, says Vettel

Dominika Jordan
Apr 17, 2025, 3:22 PM ET

Sebastian Vettel predicts Red Bull's rebound in competitive 2025 Formula 1 season.

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

Four-time world champion with the Austrian team, Sebastian Vettel, believes the 2025 Formula 1 season remains wide open despite a lackluster start in terms of spectacle. The German champion is convinced that dismissing Red Bull at this stage would be a grave mistake.

According to Max Verstappen, the victory at Suzuka, secured in part by an impressive pole position, was aided by optimized weather conditions. The cooler weather and favorable track conditions facilitated better tire management, enabling the Dutchman to claim his 64th career victory. However, the true performance of the RB21 was laid bare under the warmer and more abrasive conditions of the Bahrain Grand Prix. The reigning world champion managed to finish a challenging weekend in 6th place after overtaking Pierre Gasly on the last lap, unable to contend for a better result.

On the surface, the performance gap between Red Bull and McLaren sets the stage for a season dominated by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. But Vettel, reflecting on last year's developments, remains cautious about writing off Red Bull too soon.

Attending his Race for Women event in Jeddah, the 37-year-old Vettel shared his insights on the current season. "Obviously, Red Bull isn't very strong today, but if you go back a year, Red Bull started very strong and wasn't as strong at the end, and still won the drivers' title. So I think, of course, that can change," he told Reuters.

Vettel suggests the competitive hierarchy might not be fixed in the medium term. Teams will soon face a critical decision: to halt their 2025 development and start focusing on the new 2026 regulations. Should Red Bull lag behind mid-season, will McLaren’s competitors have any real incentive to continue the fight?

Despite his optimism for Red Bull, Vettel remains realistic. "I would still put Lando as an indirect favorite, but time will tell," he stated. "Naturally, people are always looking for entertainment, which is good and that's part of the sport, but I don't see these two having a really intense and brutal partnership (Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, Editor’s note)."

"I think they will get along well and I think Andrea (Stella, McLaren team principal, Editor's note) is also able to manage them well. Rivalries are different today. I think we had respect, and this generation respects each other. But I think they have progressed and are better than us at differentiating between what happens on the track and what happens off it," Vettel continued, addressing the anticipated internal competition at McLaren.

Already both winners this season, Norris and Piastri might eventually face challenges if sharing points affects their overall competitiveness. While supportive of the younger generation, the former Red Bull driver urges caution. Indirectly dismissing other teams like Mercedes and Ferrari from the title race, Vettel also expressed his hope that former rival Lewis Hamilton could still clinch an eighth world title despite the younger drivers leading the charge in the current standings.