Verstappen Worried Red Bull Can't Close McLaren Gap Soon

Max Verstappen expressed concerns that Red Bull may not be able to close the performance gap to McLaren anytime soon, even with anticipated upgrades for the 2025 car.

After finishing a significant 40 seconds behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri at the Miami Grand Prix, Verstappen pointed to McLaren's superior race pace as a major issue. Red Bull is bringing upgrades to Imola for Yuki Tsunoda, with further developments planned for Barcelona.

Verstappen stated, "A little bit [of performance jump]. But we have already had a few races with some updates, so this is again a little step forward. Hopefully we find a bit more performance in the car. But I don't expect, of course, to suddenly close the gap to McLaren."

Reflecting on the Miami race, he added, "The race pace was depressing for everyone except McLaren. No one was even in the same league there. That is, of course, a big concern."

A new technical directive targeting flexing front wings will be implemented in Barcelona. While some speculate this could affect McLaren's performance, Verstappen remains doubtful.

"That will not give you eight tenths to a second, of course, [which was the gap] at times in Miami," he responded.

A core challenge for Red Bull is understanding McLaren's advantage in rear tyre management.

Verstappen commented, "It's a bit impossible to know until we figure it out. I don't know when or how we are going to figure it out. It takes time.

"It's also a bit track-specific. I guess it works a bit better for them because sometimes there's a bit more thermal degradation than others.

"The advantage will not always be that big. [Pirelli bringing its softest tyres to Imola] will not help in our case. We'll see."