McLaren have a solid advantage at the front of the Formula 1 pack, but Red Bull and Max Verstappen are ready to chase them down.
Eyeing a fifth consecutive drivers’ championship, the Dutchman took a surprise Japanese Grand Prix victory ahead of his rivals.
McLaren had no answer for Verstappen, who sat at the front and managed his pace without getting uncomfortable.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri could have swapped positions to try and apply more pressure, but there are still 21 races to go and plenty of time to make up for lost points.
Red Bull are banking on two ‘game-changing’ moves to close the gap at the front, including an incoming flexi-wing directive.
McLaren still haven’t fixed one 2024 problem which could continue to give them a headache this year. Neither driver has priority.
READ MORE: Andrea Stella thinks Max Verstappen faces a ‘very difficult’ issue that will help McLaren
Guenther Steiner thinks McLaren will find another ‘advantage’ in 2025 F1 fight with Red Bull
There are just five races to go until Formula 1 clamps down with more stringent tests on wings, as part of a ‘flexi-wing’ directive which may affect the top teams.
It has been anticipated that it may hurt McLaren the most, but Guenther Steiner believes that they will be able to rediscover their advantage elsewhere.
“I don’t think the flexi-wing [will hurt them], they were given time to fix it,” he said. “They’re not sitting still and saying ‘we take the flexi-wing away and do nothing else.’ They try to find an advantage somewhere else.
“Once you’ve got that advantage, it’s pretty easy to continue. Not easy, nothing is easy in Formula 1 but relatively easy to keep the advantage.”
McLaren’s ‘very weak’ steering could hurt Norris and could be an area that the team decides to target with upgrades.
There’s still one month to go until the European leg of the season, where the majority of significant upgrades will begin to be introduced.
READ MORE: McLaren’s main strength over Red Bull was ‘negated’ by key Japanese Grand Prix track change
Robert Kubica says Lando Norris’ biggest rival is Oscar Piastri, not Max Verstappen
While teammates are usually considered to be the biggest rival of any Formula 1 driver, in a title fight against Verstappen, he is usually the most formidable opponent.
However, Robert Kubica disagrees and believes that Norris’ biggest opponent this year is actually Piastri, not Verstappen.
“Another thing you forget, a very important factor that according to Norris’ mind is very likely his first opponent and the most dangerous one is not Verstappen,” said the one-time F1 winner.
“It’s Piastri and in his mind he is happy like that in my opinion,” suggesting that the Brit is content with his teammate being the closest to him in the fight for top honours.
