McLaren may be the team to beat when the Formula 1 season gets underway in Melbourne, but Red Bull has a potent trump card yet to play—Max Verstappen.
That is the view of Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko, who is optimistic that Verstappen can tip the championship fight in their direction.
McLaren’s Edge in Pre-Season Testing
The Bahrain International Circuit has concluded pre-season testing, giving teams a sneak peek at what to expect this year. Although fuel loads and engine modes remain unknown, analysts and team insiders generally agree that McLaren now has the advantage, closely followed by Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari.
No team ventured outright glory laps during the three-day test, but McLaren was the best in race simulations. With improved tire wear and steady long-run speed, their MCL39 was able to overtake the rest of the grid.
Marko is a believer that McLaren’s fantastic pace is well worth noting and is likely that this season there might be a four-way championship battle. That said, before the Australian Grand Prix, he regards McLaren as favorites.
In my view, it will be a four-way battle or three-way battle between McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari, and us,” Marko told sport.de. “Comparing the test figures, McLaren are already three-tenths of a second ahead in both short and long runs. At the moment, they are favorites.”
Pressed to explain just how big an advantage McLaren has, Marko approximated a difference of about three-tenths of a second in race conditions.
“It’s difficult to say exactly because the weather conditions were very unusual,” he said. “It was colder than we were used to, with strong winds and even a bit of rain. On Wednesday, we were on the same level as McLaren, but by Friday, on long runs, I’d say the gap was still two or three-tenths.
“Moreover, McLaren’s tire wear was far better than what our data showed.”
Red Bull’s Uniqueness – Verstappen
Even with McLaren’s gains in performance, Marko feels Red Bull has one clear advantage—Max Verstappen. While McLaren comes into the season with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on an even basis, Red Bull has a definitive number-one driver in Verstappen.
Looking back on testing, Marko said Norris appeared to settle in more than Piastri. “In Bahrain, it was Norris who was more at ease than Piastri,” he said. “But that was probably just a Bahrain-specific thing. I rate Piastri as equally good, and I hope they take points off one another, which could be good for us.”
He also suggested that McLaren’s team dynamic within might contribute to the title battle. “Max is our clear number one. While I don’t believe that Piastri will gladly agree to being number two. We saw last year that on some circuits, he was every bit as fast—if not faster—than Norris.”
Red Bull’s RB21: A Work in Progress
Red Bull’s RB21 was not as consistent as McLaren’s challenger. Marko conceded that part of the planned upgrades by the team did not have instant dividends.
“Our improvements and innovations were not flawless at the beginning,” he conceded. “But today, the car is more consistent and reacts to technical changes the way it is supposed to. We had inconsistency in behavior last year, but this season we have potential to develop and make it finer.
Even if the RB21 falls short of matching McLaren’s pace, Red Bull is aware they possess Verstappen, and he can provide the difference at the right moment.
“If the car is not perfect, we have our wild card—Max,” Marko summed up. “His on-track genius is able to compensate for any imperfections.”