By Ian Ransom
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Formula One defending champion Max Verstappen downplayed Red Bull’s chances at Sunday’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix, saying the car is slower than their rivals and still working through some issues.
Verstappen starts his quest for a fifth successive drivers’ title at Albert Park with question marks over the pace of the Red Bull, with McLaren and Ferrari impressing the most in winter testing in Bahrain.
“I know that we are not the quickest at the moment,” Verstappen told reporters at Albert Park on Thursday.
“But, again, it’s a very long season. If you would have asked that question here last year and at the end of the season again, you know, it would look completely different.
“So a lot of things can always change quite quickly in Formula One.”
Verstappen said his car was an improvement on the one that he drove to sixth place at the final round of the 2024 season in Abu Dhabi but there were still problems to iron out.
“I guess we’ll find out more this weekend and after. But we’ll try to do our best,” he said.
“I mean, there’s not really much more that we can do. I think (at) testing, there’s not many days.
“So we found that there are already a few areas that we can work on. And that’s what we’ll continue to do.”
Sunday’s race marks the 10th anniversary of Verstappen’s Formula One debut at Albert Park, where he became the youngest driver to start a race at the age of 17 and 166 days behind the wheel of a Toro Rosso.
Asked what he might tell his rookie self had he the chance to go back in time, Verstappen said he would offer no advice.
“It’s important to make your mistakes and, of course, feel that excitement at the time, because if I would have told him at the time what he would achieve in the sport, then it’s pretty boring to know what’s ahead, right?” said Verstappen.
“You need to have that uncertainty. You need to feel the pressure of having to perform at the time, to work your way into a top team.”
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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