This weekend Max Verstappen begins his quest for a fifth consecutive Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship, a feat that has happened just once in the sport, when Michael Schumacher secured five titles from 2000 to 2004.
Max Verstappen declares ‘we are not the quickest’ ahead of F1 Australian Grand Prix
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen again downplayed his chances ahead of the Australian Grand Prix
Photo by Andy Hone/LAT Images
Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
But ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Verstappen reiterated that he is not the current favorite as the season begins.
“Impossible to know at the moment,” said Verstappen at Thursday’s FIA Press Conference in Melbourne. “I mean, I know that we are not the quickest at the moment, but again, it’s a very long season. If you would have asked that question here last year and then at the end of the season again, you know it looked completely different. So a lot of things can always change quite quickly in Formula One.”
Asked about the issues Red Bull had with the RB20, last season’s challenger, and whether those may have carried over to the RB21, Verstappen outlined that it is too early to know for sure.
“Yeah, I mean, we’ll do our best to make it as competitive as possible. Of course, it’s the final year of these regulations, so I guess up to a certain point—and I don’t know where that is—you focus on this year, and then at some point, you focus on a whole different thing,” said Verstappen. “We’ll make it more drivable, but Bahrain is very different to what we have here, so it’s a bit difficult to say if things have been fully fixed or not. I guess we just have to be patient and see how much we can regain.”
Verstappen also demurred when asked if 2025 would be his toughest title defense yet.
“I don’t know. I don’t think about it. There’s no reason to think about that yet,” said the Red Bull driver.
Verstappen has won the last two season openers, both of which were held in Bahrain. But the Australian Grand Prix has been something of a mixed bag for the Red Bull driver. While he won in Melbourne in 2023, that victory is bracketed by a pair of retirements, first in 2022 when his RB18 suffered a fuel issue, and then last year when his RB20 caught fire due to a brake duct issue.
In all Verstappen has more retirements in Australia — three — than his podiums.
At the moment, Verstappen seems uncertain over whether he will even the score in Melbourne this weekend.
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