"Only rain can save us": Fans react after Max Verstappen and Red Bull have a disappointing first day at the F1 Australian GP

Max Verstappen had an underwhelming session on the first day of the 2025 Australian Grand Prix held on Friday, finishing P7 in the FP2. Moreover, Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko suggested that his team is relying on rain to beat the rivals, drawing interesting reactions from fans.

Red Bull Racing, coming off a defeat in the constructors championship last year, didn't have the start they expected on the first day of the Australian Grand Prix. Verstappen and Liam Lawson struggled to find pace in the RB21 during the FP1 and FP2 sessions.

In FP2 session, while Verstappen finished P7, his teammate Lawson settled for P17. Moreover, senior advisor Helmut Marko reacted to Red Bull's dismal performance on Friday and said that RB21 is not good enough to win without the element of rain.

"The changes we made were not promising, so the maximum result is the second row. It was oscillating between understeer and oversteer and that of course also affects the tyres during the long run. A podium is the maximum in normal circumstances because it seems that McLaren is the strongest team. I heard it's going to rain. And then of course the Max factor is back," Marko said (via Racingnews 365).

However, fans had mixed reactions to Marko's comments and Red Bull's plight.

"Only rain can save us !!," a fan said.

"Red Bull is going to pay for cloud seeding at every race," another fan stated.

"Bro legit gave up lmao its entirely upto max now," a user commented.

A fan also pointed out that rain could be a double-edged sword for Max Verstappen.

"Rain can help Verstappen, but it also puts him at risk of being taken out and amplifying any small mistake," another user opined.

"Another year of relying on the Max factor lmao unserious team," said a fan.

"Is he alright? Why not give him a proper car to fight with," another user said.

In 2024, Verstappen had a DNF in Australia as his car caught fire due to overheating of brakes.

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Max Verstappen gives concerning verdict on RB21's pace

Max Verstappen at F1 Grand Prix Of Australia - Practice (Image Source: Getty)

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen delivered underwhelming results on the first day of the Australia Grand Prix, finishing P5 and P7 in the FP1 and FP2 sessions, respectively.

Before the race, the Dutch driver admitted that Red Bull does not possess the quickest car this season. Talking to the media, he said (via F1's official website):

"I know that we are not the quickest at the moment, but again, it’s a very long season. We’ll try our best to make it as competitive as possible. We’ll make it more driveable."

As per the data recorded on Friday, McLaren seems the strongest team in Melbourne, carrying forward the momentum from last year's constructors championship victory.

Hence, to beat the Papaya team, Max Verstappen and Red Bull will likely have to level up their game.