Lando Norris is considered the pre-season favourite for 2025 (Image: Getty)
and McLaren will be on notice heading into Friday’s running in pre-season testing. are reportedly set to bring a significant upgrade to the RB21 before the action in Bahrain concludes.
The RB21 has been one of the major talking points of pre-season testing. ’s latest challenger looks nearly identical to its predecessor, but the Milton Keynes squad’s feedback after the opening day on Wednesday was positive.
According to a report from , ’s outfit could bring a new upgrade package to the Bahrain International Circuit on Friday, testing their new parts before the season opener in Melbourne.
finished the 2024 campaign third in the Constructors’ Championship after a disappointing second half of the season. Horner’s squad scored just two Grand Prix victories in the final 14 rounds, although still managed to keep his grasp on the Drivers’ Championship standings.
With the slate wiped clean in 2025, Verstappen faces a daunting challenge to record a fifth successive F1 title. , and Charles Leclerc will all be formidable contenders and if cannot improve their machinery, the Dutchman’s hopes may already be over.
However, Helmut Marko is confident that the team have taken steps forward. “The long runs were really competitive; it was the fastest,” he told . “The car is more predictable and reacts to the changes in the normal way.
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Helmut Marko is optimistic about Red Bull’s progress (Image: Getty)
“So, all the problems we had last year, I believe they are much better, or maybe they are also sorted. Max says the car is more complex and is more put together, and whatever they do on changes, the car is reacting in the right way.
“On his fastest lap, he had a little problem, so it could have been [quicker]. But anyway, we say that long runs were really impressive and our tyre wear was very good. The car has the wider range and is more predictable for the drivers.”
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While Marko was impressed with ’s winter work, he was less enthused about ’s efforts. The Scuderia were “experimenting” during the opening day of track action in Bahrain.
“The wind was really tricky. But that’s testing,” he explained. “However, it is much colder, so maybe that is why is so fast. was very consistent and also very fast. As was . was a little disappointing because we expected more from them. However, there are still two more days, so we will see.”