McLaren made an impression during F1 testing with the Woking team’s 2025 car the best in Bahrain, but Tom Coronel expects to see ‘a lot’ more from one of their rivals.
The papaya crew enter the new season as the team to beat on the back of McLaren winning their first constructors’ title since 1998. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri put McLaren back on top last term and have now set their sights on achieving a championship double this season.
Norris starts 2025 as the pre-season title favourite after taking second to four-time reigning champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull last year. But the defending title-holder holds an edge as the only championship contender without the threat of a title rival from the same garage.
Tom Coronel expects ‘a lot more’ from Red Bull than the RB21 showed during F1 testing
Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko is clear that Liam Lawson is Verstappen’s No2, so the Dutchman may have an extra arrow in his quiver as McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes each run two title contenders. Coronel also expects more from Red Bull than he saw at F1 testing.
It appears that McLaren have the best 2025 car after F1 testing with the papaya outfit’s race pace very strong compared to their rivals’ pace. Yet while Gary Anderson is ‘not a fan’ of Red Bull’s front wing, Coronel is convinced the RB21’s pace in Bahrain is far from its true speed.
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“This is the big magic trick,” Coronel told RacingNews365. “Of course, it’s all about what’s underneath the skin [and] what’s happened there. That’s where 90% of the car is. I mean, the rest is just a little cover on top.”
Coronel added: “There is still a lot to come out from Red Bull. A lot.”
Helmut Marko thinks Red Bull are on par with McLaren after F1 testing in Bahrain
It is possible that the £2.7bn-valued Red Bull F1 team, the third-most valuable outfit in 2024, chose to hide their actual pace during testing at the home of the Bahrain Grand Prix. But the RB21, their first car since Adrian Newey joined Aston Martin, did not look as strong as some.
While the bodywork of Red Bull’s 2025 car looks very similar to their 2024 challenger, Pierre Wache’s team have made some substantial tweaks. Red Bull have made ‘drastic’ changes to their floor, for example, but Lawson struggled with oversteer in the RB21 during F1 testing.
Still, though, Marko believes Red Bull are on par with McLaren going into the first race of the year at the Australian Grand Prix. So, Coronel might be right to believe Red Bull have pace in the locker ahead of travelling to Melbourne when teams will actually show their true speed.
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