Verstappen frustrated with the RB21? 'Makes no sense anyway'
F1 News
Max Verstappen is more than ready for next weekend's season start in Melbourne. While the Dutchman knows that the RB21 is not performing as his team had originally hoped, he also recognises that the car can only be improved once the season is in full swing.
If the weather forecasts are to be believed, it could be an interesting weekend. Indeed, it looks like Friday and Saturday will remain warm and dry, albeit a bit cloudy, while there is a significant chance of rain on Sunday. "The weather seems like it’s a bit all over the place every single day. We’re going to experience quite a bit of heat and then a bit of rain, probably," Verstappen is quoted as saying by RaceFans."I’m happy that [Australia] is the first race again."
The Australian Grand Prix was Formula 1's regular season opener between 1996 and 2019. Only in 2006 and 2010 did it fail to open the season in Melbourne. After the race was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, the Bahrain GP became the new season opener. This year, much to Verstappen's delight, Melbourne is back at its old and familiar spot on the calendar.
"I prefer arriving here and just having the first race. It’s also how I started in Formula 1, then for a couple of years it went to another grand prix. The track itself as well is very fast," Verstappen explained. "Of course a few years ago they changed the layout of the track and I think that makes it a bit more exciting also to race on."
So how are things with the RB21?
The Red Bull driver then added that he is not yet completely satisfied with the way his 2025 Red Bull car is performing: "I think we all expected a little bit more from it." Still, that shouldn't spoil the fun. " But in a way I’m just very happy to be here because then we can finally see where we’re at," he explains. "Otherwise you just keep on thinking about it and it makes no sense anyway. You have to start at some point and hopefully it’s not too bad."
This article was written in collaboration with Kimberley Hoefnagel.
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