Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has revealed that testing has indicated the team will be “two to three-tenths” behind McLaren at the beginning of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
The general consensus within the paddock is that McLaren is heading into the season-opening race in Australia next week with the squad’s MCL39 as the benchmark package.
McLaren was situated behind its immediate rivals on the overall timesheets, but Lando Norris’ impressive race simulation saw the reigning champions be touted as favourites.
Meanwhile, Red Bull conceded that it hadn’t taken as big a step as it had hoped, even though it is optimistic that it has addressed the issues it endured in 2024 with the RB21.
But although he believes Red Bull will still be involved in the tight battle at the sharp end, Marko has acknowledged that the initial advantage is poised to reside with McLaren.
“In my opinion, it will be a three-way or four-way battle between McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari and us,” Marko told Sport.de.
“Although, if you look at the test results, McLaren already has a head start. That was the case in both the short and long runs. The current favourite is clearly McLaren.”
The lead caveat to Norris’ headline race run was that it occurred in abnormal temperatures in comparison to what can be expected when the teams return to Bahrain.
However, Marko has highlighted that the Woking-based squad still harboured an edge over the competition when conditions were more representative on the final day.
Asked how big he believes Red Bull’s gap to McLaren is, Marko replied: “It’s hard to say exactly what that looks like, because the weather conditions were completely out of the norm.
“It was cold, there was strong wind. It was even raining. It was only the case on Wednesday, when we were on a par with McLaren.
“But on Friday, the last day, I would say that we were still two to three-tenths behind in the long run.
“What’s more, McLaren’s tyre wear was also significantly better than our data indicated. McLaren is the favourite everywhere with this car.”
Verstappen not expecting winning Red Bull start
Max Verstappen, chasing a fifth successive title, implied that he isn’t expecting Red Bull to be in contention to prevail at Albert Park, where he was victorious in 2023.
“It was what I kind of expected, we just keep on working and trying to improve,” the Dutchman addressed.
“Hopefully we will be ready for Melbourne, learn a bit more, and see where we are at.
“I do not expect us to be the fastest at all, but at the same time, it is very difficult to tell where everyone’s pace is. There is some work to do for us.”
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