Red Bull concedes defeat in Australia as Max Verstappen's team has a stuttering start to the 2025 F1 season

Red Bull man Helmut Marko feels a win in the F1 Australian GP is out of the picture as Max Verstappen's team had a less than ideal start to the season. The team came into the first race of the year on the back of a less-than-ideal preseason test.

Neither Red Bull director Pierre Wache nor Max Verstappen was too happy with the test and felt that the car had not done what they expected it to. Even before coming to Australia, the Dutch driver was quite adamant that the car was just not good enough to fight for the win against the likes of McLaren.

The first day of running has, however, ratified the claim as Max Verstappen struggled to keep up with both Ferrari and McLaren drivers in the soft tire runs. The qualifying simulation was particularly unimpressive as it showed that the gap was pronounced and Red Bull didn't have one but two teams to worry about.

Talking to Sky Germany at the end of the day, Helmut Marko conceded the same thing as he admitted that a win is out of the question and a podium would be the best that the team can hope for. He said:

"The first practice session was better. The changes we made afterwards didn’t prove successful. We still have one more session tomorrow, but I estimate we’re about two to three tenths behind and, at best, looking at the second row [of the grid]. [The car] was fluctuating between understeer and oversteer – which, of course, affects tire wear in the long run. But I believe we know what needs to be done."

He added:

“We’re not at the very front but, under normal conditions, a podium finish would be the maximum we can aim for.”

Marko did, however, add that with rain expected on Sunday, it could throw a spanner in the works for others and Max Verstappen could be a factor. He said:

“It looks like McLaren is the strongest team at the moment, with a close fight between Ferrari, Mercedes, and us. That battle could be for positions three to five. But I’ve heard there might be rain – and if that happens, the 'Max factor' comes into play again.”

Max Verstappen's teammate being compared to Kimi Antonelli

Max Verstappen has a new teammate this season in Liam Lawson, and the Kiwi didn't have a great start to life at Red Bull. The driver was a considerable gap behind Max, and there were even comparisons drawn with how Sergio Perez used to fare last season.

Helmut Marko, however, said that the Kiwi is right now being compared to Kimi Antonelli, who has a similarly paced car under him. On that barometer, Lawson seems to be doing just fine even though there is still more pace to be unlocked. He said:

“We’re comparing him with [Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi] Antonelli, who is also driving here for the first time. The two are more or less on the same pace, despite Lawson not running with full engine power. So, it's okay, but there’s definitely more to come from him.

With Max Verstappen on the backfoot already in the 2025 F1 season, it will be interesting to see how he approaches his title defense as the year could require a lot of perseverence from all sides.