Max Verstappen makes major Red Bull declaration after pre-season concerns

Max Verstappen has made a major Red Bull declaration ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, by revealing that the team has "ideas" how to solve its problems. 

The Milton Keynes-based outfit endured a concerning pre-season test in Bahrain, where it encountered multiple issues with the RB21 and completed the fewest laps. 

Verstappen also raised concerns about Red Bull's chances following testing, with the Dutchman not being the title favourite heading into the 2025 season. 

Lando Norris is the bookies favourite to win a maiden F1 drivers' title, rather than a fifth consecutive crown for Verstappen. 

However, ahead of the first race at Albert Park, Verstappen has revealed renewed hope that Red Bull has understood how to solve its issues after analysing substantial data. 

"It is great to be getting back to racing again and officially starting the season," said Verstappen.

"It is good to see the first race of the season starting up in Melbourne; I drove my Formula 1 debut race here, so there are a lot memories and we always see the passionate fans come out here to support. 

"In Bahrain, we learnt a lot from testing but there is still a lot more work to be done. We have ideas about what we can do and how we can take on what we learnt at testing, so we will see how we go when we start driving on the track. 

"We have been analysing the data and working on where we can make improvements and can work to optimise things further. We are ready to get started up again and I am excited to get the season underway."

Lawson 'close to home' race treatment

As for Liam Lawson, the New Zealander is heading into his first F1 season as a full-time driver, with all of his previous 11 appearances having been as a replacement for Daniel Ricciardo. 

It means that Lawson has benefitted from a complete pre-season, something he has previously never experienced. 

This weekend is a big one for the 23-year-old, given that the race in Melbourne is the closest to his home country on the calendar. 

Because of this, Lawson is treating the season-opener as a home race, and is keen to make a strong start to his career as a Red Bull driver. 

"I'm looking forward to my first weekend with the team," said Lawson. "It'll be my first weekend in Melbourne as well, so there's a lot to look forward too. Myself and the team have prepared a lot for the season which has been great. 

"It’s been my first official pre-season in Formula 1, so it's nice to bring all the hard work we've done into Melbourne for this weekend. The simulator work we've done has been really important, but also the time I've spent with the engineers over the winter. 

"It's a new crew for me, so I wanted to build relationships with the team ahead of the start of the campaign. It's obviously really exciting to get the season underway and, of course, have my first Australian Grand Prix. 

"It's close to home, so it feels like a home race for me. I can’t wait to get started as an Oracle Red Bull Racing driver and I'll give one hundred percent all season for the team and the fans - that starts in Melbourne this weekend."