Max Verstappen declares F1’s ‘orange’ team clearly at the front against the competition

Max Verstappen bluntly accepted that the 'orange team', McLaren seemed to be fastest on the grid and ahead of the competition.

Max Verstappen declares F1’s ‘orange’ team clearly at the front against the competition

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)

Red Bull’s performance struggles appear to have carried over into the 2025 season. During pre-season testing, Max Verstappen was unable to match McLaren’s pace, raising concerns about Red Bull’s position in the pecking order. Now, Verstappen has openly admitted that Woking is currently leading the competition.

Max Verstappen does not expect Red Bull to remain the fastest team on the grid due to McLaren’s performance resurgence. The Dutchman also faced difficulties in performance during the pre-season test in Bahrain. Hence, amidst the preparations for the season-opener in Australia, Verstappen has put forth a blunt statement.

YouTube video

Verstappen clarifies that at the moment only one team seemed to be at the front of the competition that was ‘orange’ in color, McLaren. Moreover, the Dutchman didn’t hesitate to acknowledge that Red Bull wouldn’t be able to compete for the victory in Melbourne. However, the reigning world champion remains optimistic about the team’s ability to develop the car and enter the championship fight later in the season.

FS Video

At the moment there is only one team and it is orange. I don’t think we can fight for victory in Melbourne. but I hope we can improve in the first few races.

Max Verstappen told Viaplay

Max Verstappen expresses concerns over RB21’s ‘problems’

Max Verstappen initially noted that the RB21 challenger seemed to be much better than its predecessor RB20. The Dutchman believed that the new car was handling better at the entrance and middle segment of a corner. However, the 27-year-old accepted that the infamous kerbs and bumps issue of the chassis continued in the 2025 season as well.

Max Verstappen (via Red Bull)
Max Verstappen (via Red Bull)

The new car feels better than its predecessor at the entrance and in the middle of the corner, On the other hand, there are still problems with the kerbs and bumps.

Max Verstappen noted

Red Bull must work hard on their performance to enable Verstappen to continue his dominant championship-winning streak. The playing field seems leveled now amongst multiple teams at the forefront. Hence, time will tell about how the 2025 season pans out for the reigning world champion in his title ambitions with Milton Keynes.