Max Verstappen will enter the new F1 season believing the "gloves are off" as Red Bull gets accustomed to its new F1 reality, believes Sky Sports F1's Anthony Davidson. After crushing the field in 2023 with 19 wins from 22 races, Verstappen won seven of the first 10 in 2024 to open up a commanding championship lead, but following victory in Spain, he did not win again for 12 races until Sao Paulo. The performance advantage enjoyed by Red Bull through 2023 and in the early stages of 2024 was wiped out, with McLaren and Ferrari both having a faster car by the end of the season, although Verstappen did just enough to secure his fourth straight drivers' crown from Lando Norris. At times through the season, especially in Hungary, Verstappen was particularly vocal about the short-comings of the RB20 machine, with the nadir coming in Italy when he branded it "undriveable." Analysing the situation, ex-F1 racer and Mercedes simulator driver Davidson believes now the Dutchman and his team are aware of the new reality, they will come out swinging in 2025. "I think the frustration we saw from Max and from Red Bull is that it is always frustrating when you are being caught up," Sky Sports' Davidson exclusively told RacingNews365. "Now they've got over that hurdle, they can approach this season as: 'Right, the gloves are off and where we left last year, we are carrying on like that.' "That is their expectation so from a driver's point of view, it will be less of a surprise to start a season like you ended the last one. "I am fully expecting more of the same going into this season as last year, and everyone seems to have caught Red Bull up. "At some tracks, McLaren was ahead of Red Bull, but Max was always there or thereabouts and had consolidated that lead in the championship from so early on, they crawled home to the drivers' championship, but they'd done the hard work in the beginning." Sky Sports is the exclusive home of Formula 1 in the UK & Ireland. Don't miss the start of the 2025 World Championship live from Melbourne, Australia, March 14-16th, only on Sky Sports and NOW.
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