Melbourne, March 13 : As the 2025 Formula 1 season gets underway at the Australian Grand Prix, reigning world champion Max Verstappen has acknowledged that Red Bull might not be the fastest team at the moment while Lando Norris has played down suggestions that McLaren are the team to beat.

After starting 2024 in dominant fashion, Red Bull's grip weakened in the latter half of the season, with McLaren and Ferrari mounting a serious challenge. While Verstappen managed to clinch his fourth consecutive Drivers' Championship, Red Bull were beaten in the Constructors' Championship by McLaren. Heading into 2025, Verstappen is expecting an even tougher battle.

"I know that we are not the quickest at the moment," Verstappen told reporters on media day. "But it's a long season. If you had asked the same question here last year, by the end of the season, everything looked completely different. So a lot of things can always change quite quickly in Formula 1."

Red Bull's RB21 showed flashes of improvement during pre-season testing, but Verstappen remains cautious about the car's outright competitiveness.

"Naturally, there's an improvement from last year, but there are still things we need to work on," he explained. "Bahrain was just a test, and now we're at a completely different track. We'll see how we stack up here."

While Red Bull are managing expectations, McLaren have been tipped as early favourites following their strong pre-season showing. However, Norris - who pushed Verstappen hard in 2024 - has dismissed the idea that McLaren have an edge over their rivals.

"I don't think we are superior to our competitors," Norris said. "There's been a lot of talk, but I really don't think we're any further ahead than we were last season. It's going to be a tough weekend, and we'll be fighting with everyone."

With McLaren's late-season resurgence last year, some rivals have suggested that the team may have an advantage heading into 2025. However, Norris was quick to reject such claims, hinting that the narrative may be exaggerated.

"I don't know what other teams are doing, but they love a chat, that's for sure!" he joked. "But it doesn't matter. We'll see what happens in the next few days. We had a good test in Bahrain, but that doesn't mean we're quicker than the others. I think people will be surprised when the real racing starts."

The 25-year-old also suggested that low-fuel testing times may have given a false impression of McLaren's pace, adding, "I think a lot of teams were hiding things. We don't think we're ahead of anyone. We're in a very similar ballpark to our three main rivals, and we need to work hard to stay ahead."

/IANS