Verstappen: We managed to keep it out of the wall

Verstappen drove the wheels of his RB21 all weekend in Melbourne, taking the challenge to the dominant McLarens of Norris and Oscar Piastri.

On a day when new teammate Liam Lawson bombed, Verstappen, once again, made the difference for Red Bull, placing the RB21 in contention, a position the latest single-seater from Milton Keynes did not deserve.

Despite a messy stage of the race when the track started to dry down only for the rain to return, and while Verstappen and Red Bull gambled by staying out on dry tyres, the Dutchman managed to chase Norris till the very end but finished behind him by less than a second.

"It was a good result for us and an enjoyable but hectic race," the defending Formula 1 champion said in his team report after the race.

"The conditions were fairly difficult and slippery, but we managed to keep it out of the wall and stay out of trouble, which was the most important thing, so I am happy with that.

"It was hard for us to pass the McLarens, and we were struggling with the tyres overheating and tyre degradation. I think this is even more evident on intermediates, as the compound is even softer than the slicks. They were better at controlling the temperature of the tyres and were pulling away from us quite easily, so it will help a lot if we work to keep our tyres in a better window.

"However, we scored 18 more points than we did last time we were in Melbourne," the Dutchman went on, "so this is an improvement on last year and was fun in the end. Even if we pitted later, we would have been P2, so I am happy with the result.

"We only have a few days before we are in China, so not sure how much we will be able to find and turn around but will work hard to improve.

"Again, it is the first race of the season, and we went for it and learnt a lot, so this is a positive start," Verstappen concluded.

Lawson was knocked out of qualifying in Q1 and ended his debut race with Red Bull in the wall towards the end of the grand prix. He commented, he commented: "This whole weekend was pretty terrible.

"Today we were too slow at the start, and then we gambled. It nearly worked, but it wasn't to be. Starting from the pitlane was tough, and we just didn't really have the speed in the first stint on the inter.

"We struggled with the fronts too much, so we will analyse and look at that in detail before the next race. On slick tyres it was quite competitive for that couple of laps, but then it started raining again. We took a chance staying out on the medium and hoping half the track would stay dry. We knew that sector three was bad, but we thought sector one would stay a little bit drier, so we risked it, but it was bucketing down with rain. At that point I had backed out of pushing because it was so wet, and I was just trying to stay on track.

"It has been a pretty horrible weekend and a struggle as a whole, but we take plenty of learning. For that I am grateful, and I am just looking forward to going to China and resetting," the Kiwi concluded.

Summing up his team's first race in 2025, Red Bull boss Christian Horner added: "That was a great race. It was always going to be tricky in those conditions.

"I think strategically we called it right; Max had a very good start, but the McLarens at that time were super strong and pulled out a gap. Then the rain came, and we made the right call to get out on the slicks at the right time, and we took a slight gamble to get the overcut.

"It nearly worked, and then we had the restart, and Max so very nearly stole it off Lando. Credit to him and McLaren, though; they stuck it out and took the victory.

"It was not the start Liam would have wanted this weekend," Horner said of Lawson's woeful race. "Luck was not on his side. He is a strong driver though and will already be on his way to preparing for China, bouncing back.

"All in all, it was a good start to the season at a track we traditionally do not perform well at. China will be a bit more measured and will be a chance to see a truer reflection of performance. Excited to see what comes," the Briton concluded.