Max Verstappen heads to his season debut in Melbourne
The wait is almost over, and the masks are about to fall. So, is McLaren really the car to beat? Is Ferrari, as Helmut Marko claims, only the third-best team on the grid? And is it true that Max Verstappen won’t be able to fight for victory in Melbourne at the wheel of his new Red Bull RB21? All these questions will soon be answered as the first verdicts of the 2025 Australian GP weekend arrive. In the meantime, the reigning world champion and his new teammate, Liam Lawson, are preparing as best as they can for the season’s big debut after gathering mixed impressions during the three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain.
The champion hopes for RB21 improvements
“It’s great to be back racing,” said Max Verstappen, “and to officially start the season. It’s nice that the first race is in Melbourne because this is where I made my F1 debut, so a lot of great memories come back to me. We also always see very passionate fans coming here to support us. We learned a lot from testing in Bahrain, but there is still a lot of work to do. We have ideas on what to do and how to make the most of what we learned during pre-season, so we’ll have to see how things go once we start driving on track. We analyzed the data and worked to understand where we can make improvements and further optimize the car’s behavior. We’re ready to go, and I’m excited to start the championship.”
Liam Lawson excited for his “almost” home GP
Liam Lawson shares this enthusiasm, as he is set to finally make his Red Bull debut at his “almost home circuit” after competing in 11 Grands Prix between 2023 and 2024 with the Faenza-based sister team (formerly AlphaTauri, now Racing Bulls). “I can’t wait for my first weekend with the team. It will also be my first time racing in Melbourne, so there’s a lot to look forward to. The team and I have prepared a lot for the season, which has been fantastic. This was my first official pre-season in Formula 1, and it’s great to be in Melbourne to put all the hard work from the winter to the test.” – he pointed out.
“Simulator work has been very important,” added the 23-year-old New Zealander, “as well as the time I spent with the engineers over the winter. It’s a new working group for me, so I wanted to build a strong relationship with them before the season started. It’s obviously very exciting to get going and to compete in my first Australian GP. It’s close to home, so for me, it feels like a home race. I can’t wait to start as a Red Bull Racing driver, and I’ll give 100% for the team and the fans throughout the season, starting this weekend in Melbourne.” – the new Red Bull driver
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