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After three days of testing in Bahrain, McLaren have clearly shown that they are the team to beat at the start of the 2025 season. Their MCL39 car has shown exceptional speed, especially in race simulations, while other teams have struggled to keep up with their pace. Red Bull are aware that, unlike in previous seasons, they have difficult task now. Max Verstappen even seemed a little frustrated ahead of the start of the new season.
This change in dynamics has not gone unnoticed by Red Bull, who have enjoyed dominance in recent years. Verstappen, who usually exudes calm and confidence, could not hide his sense of tension this time. His demeanor showed that they are aware of the challenges ahead and that they are not in the position of favourites as in previous seasons.
The problems with the new RB21 car were obvious, as Red Bull were unable to replicate the level of performance that McLaren achieved during testing.
McLaren emerges as favourites
At a recent event in Zandvoort, Max made his opinion of McLaren as favourites to win the title clear. "There is only one team capable of fighting for titles at the moment, and that is McLaren. We still have work to do," said Verstappen.
He also stressed that Red Bull are aware that they are lagging behind and need to improve their performance. Verstappen added that they are aware of the problems with their new car, the RB21, which did not perform as well as they had hoped in testing.
While McLaren continued their successful run from 2024, finishing the season with a win in Abu Dhabi, the Austrian team struggled with ups and downs in performance. In Bahrain, testing failed to answer the questions the teams had, and Verstappen admitted they had failed to live up to expectations.
"We can't fight for victory in Melbourne, but hopefully we can make improvements by then," he concluded.
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