Verstappen Admits: McLaren "Well Ahead," Red Bull in Pursuit

Max Verstappen admits McLaren appears excellent throughout in 2025 with the current world champion asserting that Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes will engage in combat within the struggle for supremacy among the also-rans.

Lando Norris secured victory in the opening race of the season Down Under last weekend and aims to leverage McLaren’s clear performance edge at the Chinese Grand Prix, where this year’s inaugural sprint race will also be held in Shanghai.

Verstappen crossed the finish line just under a second behind Norris for Red Bull in the unpredictable weather conditions in Melbourne, with the Mercedes pair of George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli securing the third and fourth positions respectively.

Given that an entirely dry weekend is forecasted for China, Norris and Oscar Piastri hopes to demonstrate the genuine pace of the McLaren – even though Verstappen has already made it evident just how impressive it appears.

They possess incredible strength," he stated. "I must say, I greatly admire their accomplishments. You see, even last year and now, they've become quite speedy. Yes, they excel across the board.

So I believe that’s simply a fact. It’s tough to quantify exactly how significant this gap might be. The unmistakable image we got was that McLaren was considerably out front. Even though I don’t consider myself inept in rainy conditions, during my initial phase of racing, I didn’t get many opportunities to compete.

I believe overall we must improve collectively; when compared to McLaren, they excel in every area.

It’s difficult to provide a complete answer. Personally, I believe that Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari were fairly evenly matched. Their performance might vary somewhat from one circuit to another.

Lando Norris from McLaren, Max Verstappen with Red Bull Racing

Photo credit: Lubomir Asenov / Motorsport Images

Even though McLaren was expected to lead the beginning of the 2025 season, Norris stated that the car "does not match my driving style," adding that it is "a difficult car both to drive and to build a complete lap with."

Last year, Verstappen found himself in a comparable position, securing race victories early in the season despite not fully being satisfied with his Red Bull.

When informed about what Norris mentioned, the Dutchman responded, 'Perhaps he was just kidding about his own McLaren.' He added, ‘I prefer not to draw comparisons. Certainly, at the beginning of last year, I expressed dissatisfaction with certain aspects, yet we continued to win.’