It was clear that Max Verstappen and Red Bull were coming into the Australian GP as the underdogs, owing to McLaren’s car showing sublime pace. Throughout the practice sessions at Albert Park, the Austrian outfit did not look like a threat to take pole.
However, they did punch above their weight with Verstappen qualifying in the top three, ahead of both Ferrari and Mercedes cars. Before the season-opener in Melbourne, there were predictions that Red Bull’s RB21 would be slower than both Ferrari and Mercedes and way off McLaren’s performance benchmark.
But Verstappen is Verstappen! The four-time world champion just knows how to eke out every ounce of performance from the most challenging cars to maximize his performance. That’s what he did on Saturday to keep both McLaren drivers on edge while staying comfortably clear of the chasing Ferraris and the Mercedes of George Russell.
Verstappen’s pace was such a surprise that even his father Jos did not feel that his son would be able to compete with the McLarens. In fact, the 53-year-old had made a bet with Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko worth €500 ($550), that the McLarens would outqualify Red Bull by over half a second! Verstappen Sr. was wrong, owing to his son’s brilliance.
Speaking with De Telegraaf after the 27-year-old’s respectable qualifying showing, Marko stated, “I have also won 500 euros from Jos Verstappen because he thought we would indeed lose five-tenths to McLaren. And for tomorrow, I have already bet on a victory for Max at a bookmaker.”
The #1 driver fell short of polesitter Lando Norris by 0.385 seconds. While this was a considerable gap to be worried about, Red Bull and Max were happy that they at least qualified near the front of the grid, having expected to struggle.
Max Verstappen qualifies P3 at the Australian GP
Solid run, but the McLaren’s one lap pace is simply too good, he couldn’t have done any more.
… and tomorrow, it’s gonna be a wet race pic.twitter.com/n4CTUQBBzW
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) March 15, 2025
Marko also stated how the pace gap with McLaren was around half a second after Bahrain testing, per Red Bull’s internal calculations. So, their performance in Melbourne reflects that the RB21 might have taken a step up in performance.
Naturally, after a good qualifying, Marko is quite confident that the reigning champion can win the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday. But why so, given McLaren’s race pace has been flawless with around a two-tenth advantage at the least?
How Verstappen can shock McLaren in Melbourne
During the weekend, Verstappen also acknowledged that Red Bull did not have enough pace in their car to challenge McLaren. That is why he was surprised when he ended up P3 after qualifying, and that too at Albert Park, where the Milton Keynes outfit have rarely gone well.
“This circuit has never really suited us, but we have improved ourselves compared to yesterday. I am surprised that I am in the top three, but it is clear that we still lack some speed,” the 27-year-old said.
Verstappen has won the Australian GP only once in 2023, which was actually Red Bull’s second-ever win in Melbourne. Sebastian Vettel had won for them back in 2011, but apart from that, Red Bull never really ran well Down Under to notch up wins like Mercedes and Ferrari did.
So, the Dutchman knows he is heading into Sunday’s Grand Prix with his team’s unfavorable record at Albert Park, besides their lack of performance. The good thing is the weather gods may help him neutralize these factors to come out triumphant.
Having pulled off a sensational victory in the wet in Sao Paulo just five months ago, Verstappen will bank on his skill in the rain with thunderstorms forecast on Sunday in Melbourne. Given how the McLaren duo couldn’t match him in that epic race in Brazil, the four-time champion would hope for something similar to begin his 2025 title defense.
