Sky F1’s Martin Brundle has firmly placed his chips on Max Verstappen for the 2025 World Championship, despite a less-than-perfect pre-season test in Bahrain for Red Bull Racing.
While concerns linger about the RB21's handling, Brundle believes Verstappen's sheer talent and experience will prevail.
The Milton Keynes-based outfit’s three days of testing at Sakhir were far from smooth. Verstappen, who took to the track for the entire final day, struggled to complete a full race simulation.
The team experimented with various setups and front wing configurations, but the car appeared unsettled at times.
Visible displays of frustration by Verstappen, including a spin and some head-shaking, hinted at the challenges faced by the reigning world champion who unequivocally downplayed his 2025 prospects after pre-season testing.
"It looked okay in Bahrain at the test," Brundle said to Sky Sports News.
"They were saying that they’ve fixed a lot of last year’s problems, but we also saw Max out on track, shaking his head once and spinning up the wheels because he was angry the car went around on him.
“I didn’t sense it was exactly glued to the race track but they were pretty tricky conditions in that pre-season test."
Verstappen's Edge: Experience and Dominance
Despite Red Bull’s relative difficulties in testing, Brundle remains confident in Verstappen's ability to secure another championship.
"For me, Max starts the season as the favourite because he will be clear number one in that team and Red Bull should have fixed it," he stated.
"He’s so fast, he’s so good. He knows how to win multiple championships - so does Lewis."
Brundle also pointed out a crucial advantage: "His main rivals so far don’t know how to win any F1 world championships - Charles, George, Lando, Oscar Piastri too.
“I think Max should start the season [as the favourite]. Whoever wins this year’s world championship will win a binding world championship.”
Red Bull Aiming to Bounce Back
While Red Bull remains confident that they have ironed out with their RB21 design the issues that impacted last year’s contender, the team’s technical director Pierre Wache is mindful of the bulls’ competitors.
“I think it will be tight,” the Frenchman told The Race. “At the moment it doesn’t look like we are quick enough, but after we will see. It looks like McLaren and Ferrari are quicker.”
McLaren has indeed been singled out by the majority as the favourite to lead the pack at the outset this season.
Yet, Brundle's faith in Verstappen's ability to overcome any challenges that may come his way remains unshaken, setting the stage for an intriguing battle in the 2025 F1 season.
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